Despite the fact that it has a devastating effect on America’s most vulnerable citizens the issue of energy insecurity remains largely unreported. This is despite the ongoing bouts of bitterly cold weather. Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health researchers published a brief entitled Energy Insecurity among Families With Children. This report paints a picture of the most vulnerable families and makes recommendations for how to solve this problem. They also note the inadequacy of government-sponsored programs that aim to address energy security. What is the best way to measure energy insecurity? How much of the household income goes towards energy insecurity? People with low incomes are more likely to experience energy insecurity. This is partly due to the fact that their homes tend not be as well-insulated as houses owned by richer Americans. Yumiko Aratani (PhD), acting director for mental health and health at National Center for Children in Poverty said that while energy insecurity can be experienced by all income levels, the problem is more prevalent in those with lower incomes. Researchers define energy insecurity to be “adisproportionate amount of household income that is allocated for energy expenses among families of children.” These families have an average energy burden of 10%.. Here are some highlights from the report. More than 50% families who suffer economic energy insecurity live under 100% the federal poverty line (i.e. They live in poverty, while about one-third are extremely poor. About one third of the households that are subject to economic EI are White. However, half of those affected are Black/African American. In the South, there is the greatest (46%) number of children in families with economic EI. Over half of the families who have economic EI are renters, while only 41 percent are homeowners. The US’s energy assistance programs lack adequate coverage. Only about a third of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), covers the families’ total needs. LIHEAP provides the nation’s primary safety net to people living with energy insecurity. 2012. benefits were available to up to 15 million households. Only 5.5 percent of these households received any type of assistance. Many households are unaware that LIHEAP is available. The program is severely lacking in funding, despite rising energy prices. It suffered a budget deficit of $1.2 billion from 2011 to 2013. Diana Hernandez, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Sociomedical Science at the Mailman School of Public Health said that “when we looked at LIHEAP (the main safety net for energy assistance), we discovered multiple limitations. The program was not only unable to fund shortfalls but also provides rate discounts and debt forgiveness, when the population most needs are energy efficiency retrofits. Dr. Hernandez says that severe cuts to spending following the Stimulus Funding cutbacks have also hampered the Weatherization Assistance Program. Renee Wilson Simmons, DrPH director at the National Center for Children in Poverty said that while our country is committed to energy conservation, we don’t give enough attention to low-income families who are in dire need of assistance. The study shows that non-profit and private foundations are contributing positively to the lives of low-income families. Yang Jiang (PhD), a family demographer from the National Center for Children in Poverty said that they were delighted to find the numerous benefits this program offers for families who are underserved. The benefits are well documented and tangible. After a six-month intervention, there was a significant drop in the number of asthma-related emergency room visits to Baltimore. Families who struggle to provide for their basic energy requirements can do more.
