Skyrocketing energy costs have shocked Massachusetts residents. Here’s what happened.

Everyone is mad about their energy bills — and with good reason.

The skyrocketing bills have emerged as a flashpoint in Massachusetts, as residents increasingly cite them as a major contributor to the high cost of living in the state. More than 20 percent of respondents to a new Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll said utilities bills were the single largest strain on their household budgets.

But the reason for the extreme bills goes far beyond the base cost of the natural gas or electricity sent to our homes. Rather, the costs hinge on a series of political decisions and expensive undertakings that have ballooned energy bills.

Some of those extra charges, such as for energy efficiency programs, save you in the long run. For every dollar spent on Mass Save, residents will receive $2.69 back in benefits, according to an analysis by the Acadia Center, a nonprofit focused on clean energy policy.

Noah Berman, senior policy advocate and utility innovation program manager at the Acadia Center, said that when a utility goes before Massachusetts regulators seeking higher reimbursements, it “has 100 percent of the information. They can choose what to pass on, what not to pass on, and how to pass it on to make it look like their preferred option is the only option.”

To read the full article from the Boston Globe, click here.