Like many of us, Cheryl not only thinks about the maintenance of her home, but also about paying her utility bills. She thinks about her family’s energy use when she can. Using less energy is important, but it’s often not enough to keep utility bills affordable, especially when energy prices spike globally. Energy is a basic need for all households and families. When energy prices get to be too high, some families have to make painful trade-offs between paying their utility bills or buying food and medications. In fact, a national survey found that over 25% of U.S. households are forced to limit or go without basic necessities in order to pay their energy bills. Additionally, the onset of the pandemic in 2020 impacted millions of Americans’ ability to work, which only worsened their ability to pay bills. Cheryl, for example, ceased the operation of her daycare during the lockdown, which in turn made it even harder to afford utilities.