AARP: NY heating bills could spike 13 percent this year
11 November 2013, 11:06 am by Joseph Spector
New Yorkers could see home heating bills increase more than 13 percent this year, putting many elderly people at risk, an AARP report released Monday found.
New York has the second highest electric heat bills in the country, at 60 percent above the national average, said the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
“High home heating bills can offset the delicate balance of older New Yorkers already have when it comes to affording the basics,” Beth Finkel, AARP’s state director, said in a statement. “Too often, older New Yorkers have to choose between paying their heating bill and paying for their prescriptions.”
The AARP report found older residents that make under $20,000 a year will be the most at-risk group because this group spends the highest percentage of household income on heating bills. An AARP survey found 60 percent of residents over the age of 50 consider paying their home-heating bill a problem, Gannett’s Ashley Hupfl reports.
http://statepolitics.lohudblogs.com/2013/11/11/aarp-ny-heating-bills-could-spike-13-percent-this-year/