₦airaland Forum

I had no electricity for six months': American families struggle with soaring energy prices

Danielle Kaye
Business reporter

Kristy Hallowell A woman wearing a pink shirt holds a glass while posing in front of a green lawn.Kristy Hallowell
Kristy Hallowell was left without electricity at her home in Greenwood Lake, New York for half of 2025
Kristy Hallowell had just lost her job when her energy bill unexpectedly tripled to $1,800 a month.

Unable to pay, her gas and electricity were cut off and she, her two children and her mother spent six months of last year relying on a generator to light and heat their house.

The 44-year-old is one of millions of Americans who have fallen behind on their energy bills as prices have soared over the past year.

The electricity is now back on at her home in Greenwood Lake, New York, after a local non-profit helped reach an agreement with the utility to accept a partial payment.

But the gas is still off and electricity bills keep mounting this winter, leaving her in fear of another shut-off. She said she now had about $3,000 in utility debt.

"This has been traumatic, to say the least," she said.

Nearly one in 20 households are at risk of having their utility debt sent to collections heading into the winter months, according to a recent report.

The number of households with severely overdue utility debt rose by 3.8% in the first six months of Trump's second term, the analysis of consumer credit data, compiled by the Century Foundation and Protect Borrowers, found.

Residential energy bills have emerged as a key cost-of-living concern among American consumers, as many buckle under the weight of rising prices and sour on US President Donald Trump's handling of the economy.

Official economic data from November shows electricity prices rose 6.9% from the year before - much faster than overall inflation.

Trump, who during his campaign said he would cut energy bills in half, has claimed that costs are falling. "Costs under the TRUMP ADMINISTRATION are tumbling down, helped greatly by gasoline and ENERGY," he posted on social media in November.

The White House blames former President Joe Biden and US central bank interest rates for the lingering economic pain.

But in the wake of Democratic wins in recent state and city elections and polls showing waning consumer confidence, the Trump administration has shifted its messaging to focus on affordability, in a bid to allay voter anxiety about the cost of living in the US.

At the same time, the federal government has proposed slashing the funds it gives to states to help low-income residents pay their utility bills.

Experts also warn that the Trump administration's rollback of clean energy projects - including its recent decision to pause leases for offshore wind energy projects being built near the Atlantic coastline - could drive electric bills even higher.

"This is going to be a huge deal, both as a policy matter and a political matter," said Alex Jacquez, chief of policy and advocacy at the Groundwork Collaborative, a progressive economic think tank.

Laurie Wheelock, executive director of the Public Utility Law Project of New York, said many of her clients - low-income utility customers in New York state seeking help with their bills - have let utilities fall to the side as rent, health insurance and other costs keep getting more expensive.

In 2025, the non-profit saw an increase in utility account terminations for unpaid bills, Ms Wheelock said.

Before the pandemic, clients who approached the organisation typically owed $400 to $900 in utility debt. Now, people often owe upwards of $6,000, she said.

"There's been this difficult mix of increased costs and financial instability," she added.

Winter heating costs are expected to jump 9.2% this season, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, driven by rising electricity and natural gas prices and unusually cold weather.

Energy bills tend to be among the highest in the northeast US, the report shows. But households from California to Georgia to South Dakota are also feeling the strain of rising costs over the past year.

tunjijones:
Shey Una don see una saner clime.
'Ndi saner cline'

okeyumez:
No perfect place. Everywhere has its own wahala but Nigeria is too jagajaga especially Lagos the center of refuse

dominique:
The lunatic voted in power that vowed to put America first is too busy invading countries to care about how the average American is faring.

EKONGKING:
We love to bombard Venezuela.

Mexico and Greenland is next .

We need to make Greenland, Green again .

Putindbutt:
Why are wailers and Bitter Obidients running away from this thread?. Those delusional election losers think running down Nigeria is their key to heaven.

The deranged criminal in the white house, the corrupt white house bandit has successfully tanked the US economy much worse.

Anyways, American should enjoy the incompetent failure they voted for. America happened to them.

anonimi:
How is Trump different from your own deranged criminal in Aso Rock, the corrupt and incompetent failure, who along with his clueless APC predecessor have tanked the prosperous economy handed over to them by PDP’s deregulation and privatisation policy experts