Food or power: Energy bill late fees force tough choices

By JASEN LO
Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Americans paid a combined $561 million in late payment fees to electrical utilities in 2019.  But how much you pay depends on where you live. An AP analysis of federal regulatory data found that several major utility companies in states like Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky, Florida and Maryland are charging late fees that are much higher than the national average. Late fees typically punish customers who are least able to afford their utility bill to begin with. The fees account for a small part of major energy companies’ overall revenue. But for the people who must pay them, they can be crushing.