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During the winter, we keep our heat at just 58 degrees. Now that it’s summer, we haven’t even put our air conditioners in. Still, our bill was almost $800. Everyone I talk to feels the same. I’m a registered nurse and one of my patients last winter used a hair dryer to warm his feet because he couldn’t afford to heat his home. He ended up with third-degree burns. These bills are literally forcing us to risk our health and safety just to get by.

Over just the last year my utility bills have tripled, and we’ve had to reorganize every dollar we spend just to help pay for them. That means no vacation this year. I’ve even stopped taking one of my prescriptions to save money. Our bill is unsustainable—$460 one month, $560 the next, now $700. How is anyone supposed to afford this? At this point, we may need to leave New York just to survive.

My NYSEG bill is nearly as high as my mortgage, and I can’t afford to pay them both. I’m a public school teacher working multiple jobs. I turn off and unplug everything, keep the house at uncomfortable temperatures, and still had a bill of almost $900 one month. I don’t know how I’ll make it through winter. I’ll lose my power or my home this year.