"expect a tsunami of shutoffs" 20 million households behind on their utility bills($788)

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According to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA), roughly 20 million households in the U.S. — one out of six homes — are behind on their utility bills.

As of August, these families owe about $16.1 billion in total, with an average amount owed of $788 — and the consequences of this could be dire, especially as home heat costs are expected to reach their highest level in over 10 years.

“I expect a tsunami of shutoffs,” Jean Su, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, told Bloomberg.

Electricity prices have spiked this year due to the skyrocketing cost of natural gas. According to the Energy Information Administration, natural gas is the biggest source of electricity generation in the U.S.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that November prices for electricity jumped 13.7% from a year ago. And just a few months before in August, this marker recorded its biggest 12-month increase since August 1981.

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