Getting Energy Efficiency to the People Who Need It Most
Cities must do more to ensure that investments in energy efficiency reach the low- and moderate-income households that bear the heaviest burden from high energy costs via Shutterstock By Laurie Mazur As the saying goes, “The poor pay more.” This is certainly true when it comes to energy costs: Low-income households (both owners and renters) pay more for energy per square foot than their affluent counterparts. And as a percentage of income, low- and moderate- income families pay up to three times more than average on utility bills. Energy efficiency is part of the solution: It can reduce energy burdens by as much as 30 percent. But even the best- intentioned efficiency programs often fail to reach low- and moderate-income households. Those households may not be able to take advantage of incentives because they lack the upfront capital to invest in efficiency upgrades, for example. And they lose out on tax incentives because they don’t live in high- efficiency housing or can’t af...