This Retiree Got a $700 Utility Bill. She Sold Her Family Home to Cut Costs

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Mary West, 69, a U.S. Army veteran from Beckley, West Virginia, saw her monthly bill go up — and then up some more.

“It’s ridiculous how much people are paying in electrical bills,” says West, who worked in the coal mines but felt she couldn’t afford the very energy she helped provide.

To reduce her reliance on coal-based power, she installed solar panels on the roof of her home. But even with those savings, she’s still making sacrifices. Her hot‑water heater went out just before Thanksgiving, and she hasn’t fixed it yet in order to save up the money.

From the front of Mrs. Mary West’s home can be seen the first array of solar panels that she had installed.

Kristian Thacker

David Lapp, who leads Maryland’s People’s Counsel, an independent state agency that advocates for consumers, sees these trade-offs made regularly by those facing significant utility bills.

“Customers are having to choose between their prescriptions and groceries and paying rent or paying their bills, which sometimes are close to $1,000,” he says. “It’s really disheartening.”

Across age and income groups, at least three-quarters of Americans age 50 and older are concerned about the cost of each utility — electricity, water and sewer, fuel oil, gas — going up, with 1 in 3 saying they are “very concerned” about increasing costs for each, according to the AARP survey.

The issue isn’t just about comfort when it comes to keeping the heat low or forgoing air conditioning in the summer.