# One in five Americans skip food to pay electricity bills

> Rising electricity costs are forcing millions of American families to cut back on groceries and other essentials, according to Consumer Reports.
- Title: One in five Americans skip food to pay electricity bills
- Summary: Rising electricity costs are forcing millions of American families to cut back on groceries and other essentials, according to Consumer Reports. One in five…
- Keywords: consumer reports, electricity bills, cost of living, utility costs, energy assistance, affordability crisis, news, One, five, Americans, skip, food
- Source: CBS News — https://cbsnews.com/news/electricity-bills-americans-cut-back-food
- Author: Aimee  Picchi
- Published: 2026-10-21T17:18:10+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: consumer reports, electricity bills, cost of living, utility costs, energy assistance, affordability crisis, news
## One in five cutting back on food
About one in five Americans say they have had to cut back on groceries to afford their electricity bills, according to a new survey from Consumer Reports.
## A quarter uncomfortable with heating
Roughly a quarter of consumers are turning down their heating or air conditioning to uncomfortable levels to lower their energy costs, the Consumer Reports survey found.
## Bills up eighty percent in three years
About eighty percent of people who have lived in the same home for at least three years say their electricity bills have increased over that time.
## National prices jumped fourteen percent
Electricity prices across major U.S. cities have jumped fourteen percent over the last three years, according to federal data cited by Consumer Reports.
## Vulnerable groups face frightening bills
Sara Enright, senior director of safety and energy at Consumer Reports, said vulnerable populations like students and retirees on fixed incomes have little budget flexibility when surprise bills arrive.

> Vulnerable populations like students and retirees who live on a fixed income don't have a lot of flex in their budgets, and so when they get a surprise bill in the heat of the summer, it can be frightening.
## Data centers driving demand surge
Americans blame higher electric bills on utility companies seeking to maximize profits and the rapid buildout of data centers.Electricity demand is forecast to increase sixteen percent by twenty twenty nine, mainly due to data centers.
## Consumer Reports launches bill decoder
Consumer Reports is launching Power Smarter, a new initiative to help households reduce energy costs. The CR Bill Decoder lets consumers submit electric bills for analysis of pricing trends across the U.S.
## Key takeaway

One in five Americans say they have cut back on groceries to afford electricity bills, with eighty percent reporting increases over three years.