Energy Burden

Energy Burdens in Philadelphia

This artifact is apart of the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy's 2020 report on residential energy burdens in 25 metro areas. According to ACEE, "a high energy burden is considered to be above 6%, and a severe energy burden above 10%". 

A quarter of low-income households...Read more

Energy Drain: Low Income Households Typically Pay a Higher Percentage for Utilities

Fragility of income and a high energy burden have as much to do with quality of housing stock as they do with ability to pay bills. In rural and core urban areas, lower income people tend to occupy older homes that have structural deficits and more equipment or system breakdowns and are unable...Read more

PECO Seeks Rate Increase Of 9 Percent For Average Household

On March 30, PECO

submitted a rate increase request to the PUC which would provide with PECO approximately $246 million per year, a boost of roughly 7 percent. If the entire increase is approved, PECO estimates the average residential customer, using 700 kilowatts per hour, would see their...Read more

Correlational analysis of energy burden and eviction rate

This research paper is a Master's Thesis by Paichen Li for Duke University's School Environment. The  author sought to identify a link between evictions and utility spending in light of a nationwide eviction and housing affordablity crisis. The study territory was Southern California (Edison)....Read more

Lifting the High Energy Burden in America’s Largest Cities: How Energy Efficiency Can Improve Low Income and Underserved Communities

This report provides a snapshot of energy burdens in cities across the US. It focuses on the high home energy burdens faced by select groups in major metropolitan areas. Years of analysis by the firm of Fisher Sheehan & Colton determined that low-income households pay proportionally more...Read more

Connecticut's moratorium on utility shutoffs ended. Here's where you can still get help.

The article talks about the Connecticut utility moratoria ending this past September 15, which places many households at risk of having their services shut-off. However, Carenza from Thames Valley Council for Community Action (TVCCA) said they've seen a significant increase in applications for...Read more

The Uneven Gains of Energy Efficiency

This article touches on just about every construct that constitutes energy burden. Using the City of New Orleans as an example of a high energy burden city, it illustrates how a high energy burden contributes to the affordability crisis in American cities. Stein explores how wealth disparity and...Read more

Utility shutoffs should be a rallying cry for justice

In much a continued theme throughout the pandemic, utility shutoffs threaten and have negatively impacted many families across the United States. Without any jobs or assistance to pay for high energy bills, which continue to pile on as we are inevitably forced to stay inside, many families face...Read more

Subscribe to Energy Burden