This guide is a resource for anyone interested in promoting the use of manufactured housing as an affordable housing and asset-building strategy through local policy. It examines areas of local policymaking that have potential impact and reviews a sampling of existing and proposed municipal and county ordinances and other policies regarding zoning in single-family zoning…
AUTHORS: Pat KnightErin Camp, PhDDivita BhandariJamie HallMelissa WhitedBen HavumakiAvi AllisonNina PelusoTim Woolf About one-third of U.S. households report that lack of affordable access to energy is a major challenge. Energy insecurity is encountered even more frequently among older adults and households of color. Aselectrification of transportation and heating systems advances, it will be increasingly important…
Read More about Making Electric Vehicles Work for Utility Customers
Safe and affordable drinking water and waste water service (referred to as “water service” in my statement) are essential utility services. The human body needs water to survive, and clean wateris necessary for cooking, cleaning and sanitation. Water service is also essential for a dwelling tobe considered habitable. The United Nations General Assembly has recognized…
This fact sheet provides a summary of federal COVID-19 relief programs that can help consumers with overdue water and sewer (wastewater) bills. It is a guide for advocates, utilities, and state and local officials who are seeking to help customers with past due and unaffordable water bills.
This issue brief provides an overview for advocates on the key federal COVID-19 relief programs that can help consumers pay for essential energy, water, and broadband service.
Maryland Low-Income Energy Efficiency Savings Goal Low-income Marylanders pay an average of 13% of their annual income on energy costs, compared to 2% for non-low-income households. This translates to an average annual lowincome energy bill of $2,658, but an average annual income of only $20,038. Extremely poor households (0 to 75% of the federal poverty…
Read More about Testimony in Support of the Bill 108/Senate Bill 524
Smart thermostats – also referred to as wifi thermostats – are promoted as a measure that can produce substantial household energy savings and increased comfort and convenience for residential utility customers, beyond less costly traditional programmable and nonprogrammable thermostats. Interest in smart thermostats as a promising energy savings measure has increased in recent years as…
Read More about Smart Thermostats: Assessing Their Value in Low-Income Weatherization Programs
Future Electric Utility Regulation According to the Partnership for Southern Equity, equity is just and fair inclusion, and energy equity is the fair distribution of the benefits and burdens of energy production and consumption. In the context of electric utility regulation, equity can be a goal, tool, or metric. For example, the primary goal of…
This issue brief provides an overview of issues to consider for advocates of programs aimed at increasing electrification for residential energy customers while protecting vulnerable low-income families. A carefully designed program can save low-income customers hundreds of dollars in energy bills while removing carbon from the atmosphere.
The federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) provides life-saving assistance for low-income households with young children, frail elderly, and individuals with disabilities, by helping to pay electricity, gas, and oil bills. Payments are generally made to the utility or fuel vendor directly to help ensure that utility service is not terminated and that fuel tanks…
The federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)1 helps low-income households pay for home heating bills in the winter and cooling bills in the summer. LIHEAP also helps eligible households resolve energy crises, for example, by fixing a broken furnace or making an emergency payment to avert an imminent disconnection during frigid winters or…
