Feeling stressed and overwhelmed about skyrocketing costs before the ho-ho-holidays? You're not alone. Past due balances to utility companies have increased by 9.7% annually.
An analysis found the average past-due amount to utility companies is now $789, a 9.7% increase between April-June of 2024 and 2025. If you go back to 2022, the amount of delinquency is now 32% higher.
That corresponds with a 12% jump in monthly energy bills between 2024 and 2025. And it's not getting any better. The Century Foundation forecasts winter heating bills will be 7.6% higher than last year, "a price increase that follows record-breaking cooling costs during the summer."
The Century Foundation also found that nearly one in 20 households—equivalent to roughly 14 million Americans—have "utility debt so severe that it was sent or soon will be sent to collections." And that's an average of the entire country. If you cut it down to just the colder Midwest and East Coast cities, overdue utility balances total more than $1,500 on average.
Why? The rise in energy costs is due to a combination of factors, including higher demand driven by AI data centers. Other considerations include high fuel prices from global events like the Russia-Ukraine war, and the costs of upgrading and maintaining aging infrastructure.
As The Independent noted, "Troubles paying electricity and natural gas bills reflect something of an economic quandary for Trump, who is promoting the buildout of the artificial intelligence industry as a key part of an economic boom he has promised for America. But AI data centers are known for their massive use of electricity, and threaten to further increase utility bills for everyday Americans."
Nearly 6 million households have utility debt so severe that it will soon be reported to collection agencies, with a 3.8% increase in households with severely overdue utility bills during Trump's first six months in office.
The Trump administration has been criticized for contributing to higher utility costs by impeding renewable energy generation -- regularly castigating the Green New Deal business investments and job opportunities as a hoax. As for lowering costs, experts say the administration has shifted some responsibility to state utility boards, specifically with the belief that electricity prices are a state problem.
On Friday, the president wrote this on Truth Social: "“In fact, costs under the TRUMP ADMINISTRATION are tumbling down, helped greatly by gasoline and ENERGY," Trump posted on social media Friday. "Affordability is a lie when used by the Dems.”