As the weather turns colder, millions of families are bracing for another season of high energy costs and, for many, the threat of going without heat. One truth is impossible to ignore: Energy is becoming a luxury.

In the last year, residential electricity prices have risen 6.5 percent nationwide, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Since 2022, estimates place the overall increase closer to 13 percent. Natural gas, heating oil and propane prices remain volatile, and households that struggled to keep cool this summer are now worried about how to stay warm this winter.

This is not a regional issue. From New England families dependent on fuel oil, to Midwestern households facing record utility bills, to seniors on fixed incomes in the South, the crisis of energy poverty

See Full Page