Sociodemographic disparities in energy insecurity among low-income households before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Behavior Patterns, Energy Consumption and Comfort during COVID-19 Lockdown Related to Home Features, Socioeconomic Factors and Energy Poverty in Madrid

“…Other countries, such as the United States, have seen their already very high energy bills worsen [56], and they are more pronounced for black or Hispanic families, those with young children, chronic diseases, or living in inefficient houses [57].…”

The Energy Equity Gap: Unveiling Hidden Energy Poverty

“…Relative-primary metrics can be scores from a survey asking questions on self-perception of energy poverty. For example, a survey done in Greece used indicators such as "inability to keep home adequately warm," "leakages, damp walls, mold," and "restriction of other essential needs" to solicit the subjective feeling of energy poverty 16,17 . Compared with the 10% energy burden threshold, the study found that when a household is objectively categorized as energy-poor, they were more likely to respond "yes" for the subjective indicators.…”

“…Most papers investigating the inability to satisfy a household's energy demand focus on electricity supply and reliability constraints in developing countries [24][25][26] and energy affordability in developed countries 1,27,28 . Within developed countries (i.e., those with close to 100% electricity supply access) 29 , energy poverty and insecurity can manifest themselves in 1) electricity shutoffs resulting from nonpayment, 2) forgoing heating services due to financial strain and participating in unsafe practices (e.g., using stove or space heaters to heat space), 3) spending a large percentage of income on energy bills, and 4) difficulty adopting clean energy and efficient technologies 17,[30][31][32] . While multiple papers address the indicators of energy poverty 9,33,34 and insecurity 17,32 , we find a void of metrics that can identify energy-limiting households (i.e., those without comfortable indoor temperatures) who may put themselves at risk of heat-related illness, excess indoor moisture, mold growth, and other adverse health effects 32,35,36 (e.g., respiratory illness and asthma).…”

What We Can Learn From the Green New Deal About the Importance of Equity in National Climate Policy

“…The energy transition has its own set of accompanying equity and justice dimensions (Carley & Konisky, 2020). Those who work in legacy fossil fuel industries, for example, such as coal miners or coal power plant operators, will disproportionately lose their jobs (Jolley, Khalaf, Michaud, & Sandler, 2019); those who live in communities that traditionally rely on fossil fuel tax revenues for local public and social services will lose these services (Haggerty, Haggerty, Roemer, & Rose, 2018); those who reside near new energy developments will bear the local negative externalities of their siting (Outka, 2012; Welton & Eisen, 2019); those who already struggle to pay their energy bills will face the threat of disconnection if and when energy prices rise (Memmott, Carley, Graff, & Konisky, 2021; Reames, 2016); those low‐income households that cannot pay for more expensive but “greener” technologies such as electric vehicles, efficient appliances, and solar panels will not benefit from the associated tax benefits or energy savings (Borenstein & David, 2016; Sunter, Castellanos, & Kammen, 2019). In many cases, these disadvantaged populations are the same ones who have suffered from disparities of the existing energy system, including its externalities and exclusive decisionmaking, and they are the same groups that suffer from broader social problems such as lack of economic opportunity, food insecurity, and healthcare access.…”