Addressing Energy Burden

The U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) defines energy burden as “the percentage of gross household income spent on energy costs."  Energy burden disproportionately affects low-income households and marginalized communities because members of these groups often live in older homes and buildings and don’t have the same access to renewable energy and weatherization opportunities.

The purpose of this brief is to look at energy burden across the spectrum of building types and ages and highlight the technical aspects of what contributes to a household being energy burdened. The brief also highlights how state and federal weatherization programs can more holistically address energy burden for all households.