By Susan Arbetter New York State PUBLISHED 6:05 PM ET Jul. 19, 2021 PUBLISHED 6:05 PM EDT Jul. 19, 2021 SHARE An analysis by the Public Utility Law Project (PULP) shows that the number of households in New York state in arrears to electric and gas companies increased by one-third during COVID-19. In March 2020, there were 948,177 accounts totaling $745 million. Currently, there are 1.2 million households that collectively owe in excess of $1.5 billion in back arrears on energy bills. “It’s devastating,” Richard Berkley, the executive director of the Public Utility Law Project, told Capital Tonight. In June, when Gov. Andrew Cuomo ended the public health emergency around COVID-19, the moratorium on utility disconnections that had been in place during COVID-19 ended as well.