Higher electric bills push Americans to cut back on food

Key Points:

• About 20% of Americans have cut back on groceries or considered cheaper food options to afford rising electricity bills, while 25% have reduced heating or cooling to uncomfortable levels, according to a Consumer Reports survey of 2,003 U.S. adults.
• 81% of long-term residents reported increased electricity bills, with 28% seeing hikes between 20% and 49%, and 75% of those affected said the higher costs strained their finances, especially households earning below $85,000 annually.
• Key factors driving higher electricity costs include utility company profits (45%), increased demand from data centers and AI systems (38%), fluctuating fossil fuel prices (37%), and infrastructure upgrade expenses (36%), with widespread distrust in state utility regulators.
• Consumer Reports launched the Power Smarter initiative, featuring the free CR Bill Decoder tool to help consumers understand bills, find assistance programs, and advocate for affordable rates, amid 38% of bill readers finding their statements difficult to understand.
• The survey revealed strong public support (84%) for creating separate electricity rates for large users like data centers, with many respondents advocating that these entities cover all or most infrastructure costs related to their energy consumption.