Getting people out of poverty and older homes helps cities cut emissions

What steps can we take to improve energy efficiency? This article, posted by Energy News, specifically talks about the energy consumption in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Something that we have learned a lot throughout this class is that people in poverty situations are less likely to have the proper amount of energy to sustain life.  A big part of energy poverty has to do with infrastructure within an area or home not being able to output or receive the adequate amount of energy.  Another issue with improper infrastructure is it’s expensive to properly heat or cool your home and run all of your electronics.The energy output releases more greenhouse gases because everything is out of date. Decreasing emissions is majorly important because it affects the environment and makes our planet more livable. Minneapolis has seen a drop of 59% in greenhouse gas emissions since implementing this plan.  Low income families are more likely to live in energy poverty because the homes they live in are so run down and inefficient. Newer homes are important when it comes to energy consumption because “Newer homes built to more efficient standards require less maintenance and operate more efficiently.”  Newer homes will have lower energy bills, which will allow lower income families to be able to afford to pay their energy bills and have an adequate amount of energy. Minneapolis is offering tax incentive programs that “encourage building owners to keep affordable rents and add energy efficiency improvements” It’s really important for low income households to be able to have access to energy efficient housing and the fact that Minneapolis is encouraging that is a great start.