More than a million New York households are buried in unpaid utility bills, and the total keeps climbing. New data show residential energy arrears jumped by more than $1 billion since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching about $1.7 billion by December.
AARP New York and the Public Utility Law Project say the numbers show a full-blown crisis. This week, they renewed calls for Gov. Kathy Hochul to amend her 2022–2023 budget to deliver large-scale relief for struggling customers.
According to data analyzed by PULP from the New York State Public Service Commission, nearly 1.3 million households were behind on electric and gas bills in December. That figure reflects a steady rise since February, when about 1 million accounts carried roughly $775 million in arrears. By December, the total owed had more than doubled…