Addressing Energy Poverty
Energy poverty is defined as a lack of access to adequate energy resources. Lower income communities, which are a disproportionate minority, face the problem of expensive energy bills as well as poor indoor environmental quality and comfort relative to wealthier areas. This is due to inefficiencies in old building envelopes (which encompass the elements needed to maintain a comfortable interior environment in addition to a building’s climate control systems) or outdated appliances and devices. However, these communities are unable to finance home retrofits to improve their energy efficiency and use. The result of this loop is a prolonged higher cost for energy bills, making it more difficult to afford cost-saving retrofits. Moreover, these high energy prices lead to lower income households neglecting essential needs such as proper food or medical insurance [1]. Economically feasible and efficient systems that can be adopted in lower income areas will have huge benefits on human health and welfare by improving indoor air quality in areas where rates of diseases such as asthma are higher [2]. Additionally, by saving money on energy bills, people can better afford essentials such as medications, retirement investments, or better food whereas initially that money was to pay utilities.
Moreover, addressing energy poverty will be an advancement towards a more equitable society and infrastructure. The disparities between lower income and wealthy communities is a legacy of environmental and structural racism, as investigations from government support programs and engineering design purposely excluded minorities [3]. As a result, energy efficient technologies that are more accessible to areas that have been excluded from some of technological benefits of the past will be a step towards reversing these social gaps and harmful cultural norms.
Combating Climate Change
Buildings account for 36% of total carbon emissions in the United States. Therefore, reducing energy consumption, an emissions generation contributor, in residential buildings could have large impacts on US emission reduction efforts. Reducing energy usage could be achieved by adopting more energy efficient heating and cooling systems that either use less natural gas or use renewable power sources. Different locations and their tailored energy systems have different emissions reduction potential, but all have a positive impact on emissions reduction [4]. Emission reduction helps to improve air quality and is a step to reverse climate change which will benefit human and environmental wellbeing.
Health and Well-Being
Residential energy-saving technologies intended to improve indoor environmental conditions can also have benefits for occupant health and well-being. Mold, for instance, is often the result of damp indoor spaces and can lead to respiratory issues and asthmatic symptoms. Mold levels have been shown to decrease 40% on average after all types of energy-saving technology retrofits. Moreover, when looking at general health, the majority of studies, including self-reported questionnaires before and after home retrofits, described increased overall health as well as mental health after these retrofits [5].
Sources:
[1] Goldstein, B., Reames, T. G., & Newell, J. P. (2022). Racial inequity in household energy efficiency and carbon emissions in the United States: An emissions paradox. Energy Research & Social Science, 84, 102365. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2021.102365
[2] Adamkiewicz, G., Zota, A. R., Fabian, M. P., Chahine, T., Julien, R., Spengler, J. D., & Levy, J. I. (2011). Moving Environmental Justice Indoors: Understanding Structural Influences on Residential Exposure Patterns in Low-Income Communities. American Journal of Public Health, 101(S1), S238–S245. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2011.300119
[3] Collins, C. (2017). REVERSING INEQUALITY Unleashing the Transformative Potential of an Equitable Economy. In Institute for Policy Studies. The Democracy Collaborative.
[4] Lou, Y., Ye, Y., Yang, Y., & Zuo, W. (2022). Long-term carbon emission reduction potential of building retrofits with dynamically changing electricity emission factors. Building and Environment, 210, 108683. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2021.108683
[5] Fisk, W. J., Singer, B. C., & Chan, W. R. (2020). Association of residential energy efficiency retrofits with indoor environmental quality, comfort, and health: A review of empirical data. Building and Environment, 180, 107067. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.107067