The numbers: July marked the country’s hottest month ever documented—and over 170K households across states including CA, GA, IL, PA, and VA faced electric shutoffs by utilities. That’s according to data from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA), which was shared with the Guardian. These states saw a 28% increase from July 2024.
The reality: Households “are cutting back on food or medicine or resorting to payday lenders because you need to get the power back on,” NEADA Executive Director Mark Wolfe told the Guardian.
Zooming out: These stats don’t paint the full picture—utilities in 22 states aren’t required to report shut-off data. What we do know: Roughly one in six households are behind on their energy bills, NEADA noted. And because shutoff protections vary around the country, customers face differing degrees of risk.
Tue, Sep 29
Molly Glick
Energy Central Team
NEWS: In July, residential power disconnections rose by nearly 30% across 10 states.
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