Climate change means more people in the U.S. are using air conditioners. But this comes at a major financial and environmental cost
, more than 20 million American households are behind on their utility bills, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association , an organization that represents state governments to secure federal funding for energy assistance programs. What’s more, NEADA reports that the average cost for summer cooling between June and September was about $450 last year and is expected to be about $600 this year.
Every state except Florida and Hawaii prohibit utility shutoffs for medically vulnerable residents who fall behind on payments. Some states also have specific conditions for households with babies and the elderly. But broadwhen the weather gets too hot or too cold are uneven across the country. According LIHEAP data, 41 states and Washington, D.C. have blanket protections against utility shutoffs during extremely cold weather, but only 16 states and Washington, D.C.
According to Mark Wolfe, executive director of the NEADA, lack of protections aren’t the source of the shutoff problem , nor are protections an end-all solution for struggling customers . But during extremely hot weather,Climate Experts Are Testing New Ways To Reach the People Most Affected by Extreme Heat
“States decide how to allocate the funds during the course of the year,” Wolfe says. “And up to recently, states used about 85% of the money they get for heating. The problem is, we only have enough money to reach one of every six eligible households, and on top of that, we don’t have enough to help with heating and cooling bills.”
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