Home energy assessments offer a rare opportunity for energy efficiency programs:face-to-face, individual attention from consumers who are motivated to make a change. This is one of the few times utilities are able to hear a homeowner’s specific concerns and offer unique, tailored energy efficiency upgrade options.
In a day and age where almost anything can be managed from our smart phones, it’s no surprise that our homes are now among the list. Comfort and convenience are key, and that’s why smart home apps have become increasingly popular. They allow users to remotely manage an array of connected devices such as thermostats, smart speakers, smart light bulbs, video doorbells and more!
Rural and small-town America has a proud and independent culture all its own. It also has unique energy needs and challenges.
If we use the US Department of Agriculture definition of a rural or ‘non-metropolitan’ community as one with fewer than 50,000 inhabitants, then small towns and rural countryside make up 72 percent of the land area in the United States—but just 14 percent of the total population. Yet interestingly, rural communities account for 20 percent of US energy consumption.
Given that people spend about 90 percent of their time inside buildings, it’s not surprising that the indoor environment can have a substantial impact on health.
While this isn’t an issue that people often consider, it poses real problems. Of all building stock in the United States, 53 percent is more than 35 years old – and some of that contains hazardous construction materials like asbestos and lead. In fact, around 4 million US homes are exposing children to dangerously high levels of lead.
In the United States today, nearly 28 percent of families live on incomes less than 200 percent of the federal poverty line. And although they may be the least able to bear it, low-income families face disproportionately higher energy burdens than wealthier households. They spend a far larger percentage of their total household income on paying utility bills than the average U.S. household. In fact, a recent report found that, for families living in large cities, the median low-income household’s energy burden was more than three times as high as that of non-low-income households. This provides the context for why improving the efficiency for low-income households is so important.
