Energy costs beat food, health care

Household energy costs have more than doubled in the last five years, said the Consumer Federation of America on Tuesday. “No Time to Waste”, the report by the Washington, D.C. non-profit, warned that home heating prices are on the rise while relief at the gas pump is nowhere in sight. The nation’s uncertain energy future has consumers worried, according to the federation’s poll. The poll registered broad support for better automobile mileage, more renewable energy, and more biofuel production. One sobering finding: household energy expenditures beat health care costs by 50 percent. Americans spent 23 percent more on energy than they did on food.

-Asjylyn Loder