Throughout the summer of 2021, the Energy Rights Project in partnership with the Energy Coordinating Agency hosted 15 comprehensive energy conservation workshops in communities across the tri-state region. These workshops focused on electricity and water conservation techniques, giving folks tools to help lower the cost of their electric and water bills amid the summer heat in Philly. Each household that attended a workshop received a conservation kit with energy efficient technologies that will help to make their home more comfortable and affordable, along with packets containing lists of local resources for energy assistance. As our summer workshop series wraps up, we reflect on the incredible people that we connected with at each workshop, the communities that welcomed us into their space, and our positioning as researchers studying and advocating for the right to energy.
Although the barriers to accessing and maintaining affordable energy in Philadelphia are manifold, we believe that energy workshops help to shift power from utility companies into the hands of energy consumers. These workshops created spaces for residents to think more deeply about their relationship to their home energy systems. To quote energy educator BJ McDuffie, “It’s not what you know that’s hurting you, it’s what you don’t know”. Knowledge is power, and understanding the factors that contribute to the price one pays for energy each month not only allows residents to modify wasteful energy behaviors, but can help them advocate for themselves and their household’s energy needs and rights.
Knowledge sharing at our workshops was a two-way street: attendees shared stories of their energy burdens as well as strategies for reducing such burdens, and gained energy assistance resources and conservation knowledge that they can share.
As researchers, we learned about the individualized yet widespread experiences of energy vulnerability, but most importantly we learned that energy consumers in Philadelphia are resilient and they are visionaries. When energy is not affordable or easily accessible, Philadelphians cope by lending support to their neighbors in need and develop creative strategies to conserve energy in their homes. In follow-up interviews with workshop attendees, attendees articulated visions for energy futures, where energy is clean and affordable, and where all energy consumers' needs are adequately met. Our team seeks to uplift these visions through our publications as we wrap up our research project, and are excited to continue these conversations with residents and stakeholders across Philadelphia in the coming months.
Anonymous, "NEC summer workshops: Key takeaways By Morgan Sarao", contributed by , The Energy Rights Project, Platform for Experimental Collaborative Ethnography, last modified 30 March 2022, accessed 21 November 2024. https://energyrights.info/content/nec-summer-workshops-key-takeaways-morgan-sarao
Critical Commentary
This article was present on the Fall 2021 TERP newsletter.