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New York is facing a pandemic-fueled home energy crisis, with no end in sight
(Inside Climate News, 20 May 2022) More than a million households are 60 days in arrears on their energy bills, with an average of $1,427.71 in debt, and shut-offs are increasing.
During the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, Jen Chantrtanapichate, a climate justice organizer, fell behind on her utility bills after she lost her contract as a consultant.
“I was enrolled in autopay and paying all my bills on time before the pandemic,” Chantrtanapichate said, adding that her utility debt accumulated over the last two years. Despite being on staff for months now, she is still not on top of her bills, she said, and owes $1,400 to National Grid for her electric service and over $700 on gas bills from Con Edison. The two utilities hold a monopoly in Brooklyn, where she lives.
Similar tales of ballooning utility debt have been reported on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, in other parts of Brooklyn and in Astoria and Ozone Park in Queens. But the energy crisis is not limited to New York City. Households all over the state that get their electricity from utilities found their utility debt mounting over the winter. Now, as the weather warms, households in some counties have started to see power shutoffs, and advocates fear there may be many more to follow.
Inside Climate News, 20 May 2022: New York is facing a pandemic-fueled home energy crisis, with no end in sight
