31 Percent Of U.S. Households Have Trouble Paying Energy Bills

According to the latest results from the Energy Information Administration, nearly a third of households in the United States have reported trouble paying their energy bills.

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Nearly a third of households in the United States have struggled to pay their energy bills, the Energy Information Administration said in a report released Wednesday. The differences were minor in terms of geography, but Hispanics and racial minorities were hit hardest.

About one in five households had to reduce or forgo food, medicine and other necessities to pay an energy bill, according to the report. “Of the 25 million households that reported forgoing food and medicine to pay energy bills, 7 million faced that decision nearly every month,” the report stated.

More than 10 percent of households kept their homes at unhealthy or unsafe temperatures.