Isn't that great? *sarcasm*

We've been trying to highlight the "silver linings" every day during the coronavirus lockdown - more time with family, less running around, no bras, etc. Unfortunately, this will not be lumped into that category.

Utility companies are warning customers that their electric bills will likely be higher in the wake of the lockdown, mostly because people are working from home on electronics.

We've been working from home as well, and we can absolutely attest to this: our electric bill, which is usually the lowest in April and May, was the same both months and higher than last year's bills in the same months, according to our personalized graph on the Consumers Energy website.

Energy use is up by about 20% per household, and it's more than working from home - televisions are on all day because the kids are home and online schooling. Temperatures, nationally, were higher this spring than usual, which resulted in people turning their air conditioning on earlier.

24% of people reported having "high anxiety" about their utility bills right now. But, to be fair, a lot of us have high anxiety about EVERYTHING right now. Remember, we're living each day through a pandemic - aka, a trauma. Mental health awareness is super important right now.

Google is giving its employees $1,000 extra each for "equipment costs," in reference to working from home and higher utility bills. They're also encouraging employees to continue to work from home through the end of the year at their own choice.

How's your utility bill looking this month?

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