After people fork out money to put a roof over their heads and buy groceries, there are still two more major expenses in daily living – health care and energy needs.

The yearly average for health care costs in an American household is just $61 more than energy costs, according to new figures provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Expenditures for housing averages $16,085 for all households; food is $6,887; energy is $4,318 and health care is $4,379, the BLS reports.

The poorest 25 million Americans spend 22 cents of every dollar they earn on energy costs; other more affluent populations spend between 17 and 22 percent of their after-tax income on residential utilities and fuel for vehicles. 

Kay Coomes, manager of public affairs for the Kentucky/Mid-States Division of Atmos Energy Corp., said recently in an email that Atmos couldn’t comment on family income data because Atmos Energy does not collect or store that type of information.

However, it could address energy costs to consumers in a general sense. 

“I can say that our natural gas cost adjustments are the lowest they have been in almost a decade and Atmos Energy continues to be one of the lowest natural gas providers in the commonwealth,” Coomes said.

“We are very aware of the hardship that energy costs place on all our customers and we do our best to always work with our customers. Atmos Energy currently offers a weatherization program to all customers that qualify for the program. We also offer some high-efficiency appliance rebates, as well as an energy conservation education program to all school age kids,” she said. 

“Our customers are also very generous with our Sharing the Warmth program where our customers can donate money to those who need energy assistance and Atmos Energy will match a portion of the donation. It is our hope all these programs help our customers with their energy needs,” Coomes said in the email. 

A national monitoring group for consumer energy costs recently noted the effect that energy costs have on the poor.

“Energy costs have a disproportionally harmful impact on low-income households, even compared with other necessities like food, clothing or health care,” said the American Coalition for Clean Coal Energy, whose findings may be found at americaspower.org.

U.S. households are projected to spend an estimated average of $2,256 for residential energy this year, the coalition noted in a white paper.

Rick Carroll, senior director of communications and legislative affairs for Warren Rural Electric Cooperative Corp., said the utility, working with the Tennessee Valley Authority, is trying to do its part to give consumers the best bang for their energy buck.

“TVA’s effective retail rate is among the lowest third of the top 100 utilities. Low rates for all customers are TVA’s priority, and TVA is working to make its power rates some of the best in the nation,” Carroll said in an email to the Daily News.

For 12 months, the average WRECC residential member’s annual use is 16,224 kilowatts, and the average annual residential cost is $1,742.76. This reflects electricity costs only; it does not include taxes, the TVA fuel cost, lighting or any other charge, Carroll said.

Carroll said WRECC customers do get a bang for their buck. 

“We offer an electric hot water rebate, an online energy evaluation, the eScore program, and free energy audits … ,” Carroll said. “We also work with area agencies and churches in finding help for those who are having difficulty paying their electric bill. We offer the Operation Warm Hearts program which allows our members to round up their electric bill to the next whole dollar amount. These funds are then sent to the community action agency in the county where the funds were collected to help Warren RECC members who are having problems paying their electric bill.”

Carroll said that in September 2015, WRECC announced it would absorb a portion of TVA’s rate adjustment that became effective Oct. 1, 2015. 

The utility’s decision tracks with a three-year strategy of reducing operating and maintenance costs, he said.

TVA is expected to make small rate adjustments to the wholesale power purchased by WRECC through 2017, Carroll noted.

Billy Ray, superintendent of the Glasgow Electric Plant Board, said the EPB is operating under a new format that informs customers of potential peak demands so they have the option of adjusting their electricity usage in hopes of reducing their power bills. The EPB has begun charging customers a higher rate for the one hour each month when demand for electricity is the highest.

Five months in, the new approach shows about half of the customers are seeing an increase in their electricity bill and about half have seen reductions.

Ray said half of the customers saw an average increase of $18 in the monthly bill and half saw an average decrease of $25 in their bill.

EPB’s billing plan has been the source of some controversy in the community, with some customers – most of them senior citizens – complaining to the Glasgow City Council that the approach places an unfair burden on people who might not be able to effectively reduce their power consumption during peak demands.

“We have grown in the technical capacity to pass the wholesale rates along,” Ray said. “People who are saving money are thrilled to death.”

Ray said the detractors of the plan are a small minority in the community.

— Follow business reporter Charles A. Mason @BGDNbusiness or visit bgdailynews.com.