As we head into the holidays, many of us will take the time to help those who have fallen upon hard times. Our neighbors and coworkers may participate in charity toy drives, food bank deliveries or clothing collections to help those who are struggling this holiday season.
While these efforts are important to helping our communities, we must also remember that our neighbors and area families also need affordable energy.
Currently, Floridians spend nearly $2,800 per person on energy annually, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. With a median household income in Florida of $47,507 per year, that is a staggering amount of money devoted to daily energy costs.
For those living on low or fixed incomes, the burden can be even more crushing. Take for example the poorest residents in Florida who generally spend 23 percent of their take-home pay on home energy bills (and more than 50 percent in some extreme cases). But energy costs affect us all. And Floridians deserve better.
Let’s work together to find ways to protect the environment, ensure the lowest possible prices, create greater energy security for struggling households, upgrade America’s infrastructure and push forward with cutting-edge innovations.
By doing so, we can lighten the load for people all year around.
Kevin Doyle,
Florida executive director,
Consumer Energy Alliance,
Jacksonville FL
Source – The Florida Times-Union