Stefan Samarripas, Local Policy Manager for the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), recently published a blog post reporting:
“Renter households that were behind on energy bills were also more likely to report being behind on rent when being surveyed, according to an analysis averaging experimental Census Bureau data collected since July 2021. Our analysis of that new data, from last month’s Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey, reveals that 33% of roughly 44 million renter households across the United States were behind on their energy bills in the past year. Among those behind on energy bills nearly every month, almost half were also behind on rent.
Energy efficiency upgrades could help renters keep up with these bills by lowering monthly energy costs, but property owners must approve these improvements and are unlikely to do so amid reduced rental income. Recent research indicates that owners seeing decreased rental income from their properties since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic are less likely to invest in their buildings. Policymakers and utility regulators can address this problem with increased funding for energy efficiency programs targeting rental properties that are home to energy-insecure households. ”