The National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association (NEADA), representing the state LIHEAP directors, received funding from the National Energy & Utility Affordability Coalition (NEUAC) to update the information about that was collected in the 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, and 2011 National Energy Assistance (NEA) Surveys. This survey documented the need for LIHEAP, the choices that low-income households make when faced with unaffordable energy bills, and the impact of LIHEAP. The 2018 Survey included seven states (California, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Louisiana, Pennsylvania). Stratified samples of fiscal year 2018 LIHEAP recipients were chosen from each of the state LIHEAP databases. This report presents the findings from the 2018 NEA Survey and provides comparisons to the previous NEA Surveys. The survey and report were prepared for NEADA by APPRISE. During the period of study, low-income households across the country continued to face challenges with their energy bills. While there are many anecdotal stories about households that forego basic needs and face tragedies due to a lack of electricity or heating fuel, this survey quantifies the problem. The survey showed that 26 percent of the LIHEAP recipients were unemployed at some point during the year, 82 percent had annual household income below $20,000, and that 15 percent had their electric or gas service shut off in the past year.
NATIONAL ENERGY ASSISTANCE DIRECTORS’ ASSOCIATION, "2018 NATIONAL ENERGY ASSISTANCE SURVEY FINAL REPORT ", contributed by Morgan Sarao, The Energy Rights Project, Platform for Experimental Collaborative Ethnography, last modified 22 January 2020, accessed 16 April 2024. https://energyrights.info/content/2018-national-energy-assistance-survey-final-report
Critical Commentary
The National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association (NEADA), representing the state LIHEAP directors, received funding from the National Energy & Utility Affordability Coalition (NEUAC) to update the information about that was collected in the 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, and 2011 National Energy Assistance (NEA) Surveys. This survey documented the need for LIHEAP, the choices that low-income households make when faced with unaffordable energy bills, and the impact of LIHEAP. The 2018 Survey included seven states (California, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Louisiana, Pennsylvania). Stratified samples of fiscal year 2018 LIHEAP recipients were chosen from each of the state LIHEAP databases. This report presents the findings from the 2018 NEA Survey and provides comparisons to the previous NEA Surveys. The survey and report were prepared for NEADA by APPRISE. During the period of study, low-income households across the country continued to face challenges with their energy bills. While there are many anecdotal stories about households that forego basic needs and face tragedies due to a lack of electricity or heating fuel, this survey quantifies the problem. The survey showed that 26 percent of the LIHEAP recipients were unemployed at some point during the year, 82 percent had annual household income below $20,000, and that 15 percent had their electric or gas service shut off in the past year.