The cost of everything is going up these days.
In addition to testifying locally about increases in electricity, gas, water, sewer, and garbage costs, consumers also need to be aware that state policies affect what they pay for utilities.
A new issue brief, “Lowering Household Utility Costs: A Policy Roadmap for State Action,” identifies measures states need to take to improve affordability and give people tools to maintain essential utility services.
“Instead of churning families through a cycle of disconnection and reconnection, utility companies should focus on helping customers stay current on their bills,” Jenifer Bosco, managing director of energy advocacy at the National Consumer Law Center, or NCLC, said in a statement.
Consumers need to follow state policy making to ensure their state uses a range of strategies to make a difference for customers struggling with high utility costs, including:
- Put affordability first. Adopt utility affordability programs, eliminate utility service junk fees, and replace the overuse of costly and inefficient utility disconnections.
- Support cost-effective energy efficiency programs to help lower bills for all ratepayers.
- Make utility commissions do more to keep utility profits in check, and to make sure that residential utility customers are represented.
- Take steps to create a cleaner and more affordable energy system.
- Make sure data centers pay their fair share and provide real benefits for their host communities. Don’t build data centers over community opposition.
Consumers also need to monitor their states to make sure policies that risk worsening the energy insecurity crisis aren’t adopted, especially in times of tight budgets, such as:
- Don’t eliminate or shrink energy efficiency programs.
- Don’t replace energy efficiency programs with more consumer debt.
- Don’t impose “prepaid” electric service.
- Don’t make it harder for low-income families to pay their bills. Adopt fair utility debt collection practices instead.
“There is no easy fix to the energy affordability crisis,” said Bosco. “State policymakers must avoid the pitfalls that could worsen the crisis and focus on increasing funding for energy affordability programs while ensuring Big Tech covers the costs of its data centers.”
