Report Publish Date: June 29, 2023
This issue brief examines the impact of energy insecurity—when households can’t meet their energy needs—on health and health equity. It suggests ways to improve energy policy so that everyone has the energy they need to heat and cool their homes, keep the lights on, cook, do chores, and go about their daily lives.
The author finds that: More than 30 million households in the U.S. cannot meet their needs for electricity, heat, gas, and other types of power in their homes. This energy insecurity disproportionately affects people living in poverty and Black, Indigenous, and other people of color and leads to poor physical and mental health outcomes. Energy insecurity is being made worse by poor housing quality, inflation, climate change, and other factors. There are policies and programs that can help people become energy secure.
When people’s energy bills are too high and their income too low, they become burdened by the cost of heating, cooling, and lighting their homes and using everyday appliances. People cope in ways that can affect their health, such as keeping their homes too hot or too cold or using dangerous alternative sources of energy.
The author presents what we know about energy insecurity in the United States. She argues that “Many long-standing programs to address energy insecurity need to be refreshed in light of climate change, the recognition of unacceptable disparities, and the impending transition to clean energy.”
The author presents statistics about the prevalence of energy insecurity and the inequities in who is impacted. She reviews the literature about the ways energy insecurity may lead to poor health. Finally, she looks at policies that address the problem and suggests how to improve them.
“Whereas the problem of energy insecurity was hidden in plain sight for decades, recent world events—including climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, social unrest around inequalities, inflation, and the war in Ukraine—have brought renewed attention to the larger issues surrounding this problem.”
—Diana Hernández, Columbia University
Addressing energy insecurity will help more families to thrive.
$250,000
Awarded on: 09/10/2021
Timeframe: 2021-2025
Grant number: 78975
Location: New York, NY
Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health New York, NY 10032
http://www.mailman.columbia.edu/Energy insecurity, or the “inability to adequately meet basic household energy needs,” has profound implications for health and health equity. In this instance, “energy” refers to the electricity, gas, or other power sources used for lighting, cooling, heating, and the use of household appliances and electronic devices. I characterize the three primary dimensions of energy insecurity as physical, economic, and coping.
Temporally, there are chronic and acute forms of energy insecurity. Chronic energy insecurity is demonstrated by households who experience physical and economic energy-related hardship and engage in coping strategies most or all of the time. Chronically energy-insecure individuals and households may live on a fixed income or have low-income earning potential, making it impossible for them to escape poverty, which in turn makes it challenging for them to access high-quality housing or to afford needed repairs and upgrades.
Acute energy insecurity can have population-wide impacts and occurs as a result of external factors beyond the control of those affected. Power outages, gas leaks, and oil shortages are examples of acute energy insecurity. Acute and chronic energy insecurity can converge, as in the case of a chronically energy insecure household experiencing a disconnection as penalty for nonpayment.
All three dimensions of energy insecurity—physical, economic, and coping—whether experienced on a chronic or acute basis, can have important implications for health and health equity. This brief provides an overview of the prevalence of energy insecurity in the US and its inequitable distribution. Next, the brief reviews the growing literature documenting the connections between energy insecurity and poor health. Finally, it provides an overview of current policy initiatives to address energy insecurity and its adverse health effects and discusses ways that current policies can be improved on.
Health Affairs Health Policy Brief, June 29, 2023. DOI: 10.1377/hpb20230518.472953
This study and report was conducted and created by the following people.
