Rising number of New Yorkers fall behind on utility bills
Shift to working from home has led to higher electric, cooling bills
The number of people who are behind on their gas and electric bills is at the highest level since the Great Recession and the number is likely to go higher, according to data compiled by a leading consumer group.
This increase is due to the COVID -19 pandemic, which has led to widespread unemployment and to residential customers using more electricity and gas while working at home. This has prompted regulators to examine management of utility costs going forward.
According to the Public Utility Law Project of New York, a consumer group, 1,067,749 residential customers were at least 60 days overdue on their gas or electric bills as of Aug. 20.
That’s a 20 percent increase since February, before the pandemic and attendant job losses, and higher than 1,047,923 in November 2008. The amount owed was $985 million in August compared to $587 million in 2008.
“It’s more than we’ve had owed in at least the last decade,” said Richard Berkley, executive director of PULP.
He added that the August numbers will likely rise, reflecting the use of home air conditioners during the hottest part of summer.
With scores of New Yorkers working from home, they were likely to keep their air conditioners running on high rather than turning them down while they were away at work. People working at home would also consume more electricity to run their computers, lights and other electronics that would
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Gasoline prices should make any road trip less expensive than a year ago, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge report. In the Capital Region, a gallon of unleaded regular averaged $2.259 on Wednesday, down nearly 40 cents from $2.652 a year earlier. AAA said gas prices nationally are the lowest for early October since 2016.
Air and rail travel have suffered as COVID -19 has made travelers wary of sharing enclosed spaces with strangers.
Amtrak and airlines have responded with stepped up cleaning and disinfecting, and require masks of all crew members and passengers. Frequently touched surfaces are regularly disinfected as well, said Amtrak spokesman Jason Abrams.
Air travel is running anywhere from 70 to 78 percent below year-earlier levels, said Albany International Airport spokesman Doug Myers. Leisure travelers from nearly three dozen states face quarantine restrictions when arriving in New York state, which likely has had an impact on demand for air travel.
In Lake George, Mintzer is seeing plenty of new visitors. Campgrounds and inns that counted on Canadian visitors for anywhere from 12 to 30 percent of their business have seen other travelers take their place, many who previously might have gone to the Hamptons or Vermont.
Now, she observed, “even Warren County residents can’t go to Vermont.”