Getting a Handle on The Utility Bill Crisis in Minnesota

(Adobe Stock via Minnesota News Connection)

(By Mike Moen. Minnesota News Connection) – The home heating season will soon be over in Minnesota but it might be little comfort to utility customers behind on their bills.

With unaffordability a growing concern, a consumer group is urging those households to seek help now if they need it. The Citizens Utility Board said Minnesotans are now more than $120 million behind on their energy bills and disconnection rates are higher than ever. The group’s latest report showed many Minnesotans are making unhealthy sacrifices to pay their energy bills.

Kevin Krantz, consumer specialist for the board, said the numbers are worse elsewhere around the country, but it does not erase local hardships.

“Averages are never going to tell the whole story,” Krantz pointed out. “And even if we have lower rates compared to the national average, people are struggling.”