Nearly One Million Connecticut Residents Can't Pay Utility Bill, Author Of New Report Finds

For the second consecutive year the gap between what Connecticut's low-income households pay for energy and what they can afford has decreased, according to a new report. But more than 320,000 households in Connecticut still can't afford to pay their utility bills.

Operation Fuel, a nonprofit emergency energy assistance agency, released its 11th annual report Wednesday outlining the state's home energy affordability gap.

According to economist Roger Colton, who authored the report, the gap for state families at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level stands at $399 million. The gap is what those families can't afford to pay and amounts to about $1,240 per household.

"That means nearly one million Connecticut residents have unaffordable energy bills," said Colton, who credited lower natural gas and oil prices for reducing the gap.

Read more: http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-operation-fuel-energy-affordability-gap-1208-20161206-story.html