According to Electricrates.org, the average U.S. household utility bill is $147 per month for electricity alone, rising to about $470 when water and gas are included. Using the Vanguard Utilities ETF (VPU) as a sector proxy with a yield of about 3.1%, the article estimates that nearly $60,000 invested in VPU, Southern Company or NextEra Energy would generate the $1,764 needed each year to cover electricity bills. In VPU's case, that means about 335 shares paying $5.20 each in annual dividends, or $1,742. The author calls this an unconventional use of dividend stocks and warns against taking on more debt to pay bills, especially with interest rates as high as they are now.
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