Heating oil may be the clearest warning yet of how the war in Iran is deepening the US’s energy affordability crisis. Families who heat their homes with oil are facing bills that could be 50% higher this winter, adding nearly $900 to the cost of keeping their homes warm. These families were already struggling before the war began.

As the Guardian recently reported, research by my organization found that electricity shutoffs in 10 states had increased 28% over the past two years. Millions of Americans were already falling behind on their utility bills, forced to choose between paying for energy, food, medicine and rent. Now they face another round of increases in gasoline, electricity and home heating costs.

The war didn’t create America’s energy affordability crisis. But it is making a bad situation much worse.

For families living on social security, minimum-wage workers and others with little room in their budgets, higher energy prices are taking an especially heavy toll. Even middle-class families are struggling to absorb another $100 or $150 a month for gasoline, groceries and home heating.

Heating oil is the canary in the coalmine for the broader affordability crisis.

Heating oil and diesel are essentially the same petroleum product, and both have been hit hard by the disruption to global energy markets. Higher diesel prices increase the........

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