How we can make energy more affordable for lowincome families DeAndrea Salvador
So, as a child,
I used to spend all of my time
at my great-grandmother’s house.
On hot, humid, summer days,
I would dash across the floor
and stick my face in front of
her only air conditioner.
But I didn’t realize
that that simple experience,
though brief,
was a privileged one in our community.
Growing up, stories of next-door neighbors
having to set up fake energy accounts
or having to steal energy
seemed normal to me.
During the winter, struggling to get warm,
my neighbors would have no choice
but to bypass the meter
after their heat was shut off,
just to keep their family
comfortable for one more day.
These kinds of dangerous
incidents can take root
when people are faced
with impossible choices.
In the US, the average American spends
three percent of their income on energy.
In contrast, low-income
and rural populations
can spend 20, even 30 percent
of their income on energy.
In 2015, this caused over
25 million people to skip meals
to provide power to their homes.
This is when energy becomes a burden.
But energy burdens are so much more
than just a number.
They present impossible
and perilous choices:
Do you take your child
to get her flu medicine,
or do you feed her?
Or do you keep her warm?
It’s an impossible choice,
and nearly every month,
seven million people choose
between medicine and energy.
This exposes a much larger
and systemic issue.
Families with high energy burdens
are disproportionately people of color,
who spend more per square foot
than their white counterparts.
But it’s also nurses, veterans
and even schoolteachers
who fall into the mass
of 37 million people a year
who are unable to afford energy
for their most basic needs.
As a result, those with
high energy burdens
have a greater likelihood of conditions
like heart disease and asthma.
Look – given our rockets to Mars
and our pocket-sized AI,
we have the tools to address
these systemic inequities.
The technology is here.
Cost of renewables, insulation,
microgrids and smart home technology
are all decreasing.
However, even as we approach cost parity,
the majority of those who own solar
earn much more than the average American.
This is why, when I was 22,
I founded the nonprofit RETI.
Our mission is to alleviate energy burdens
by working with communities,
utilities and government agencies alike
to provide equitable access
to clean energy,
energy efficiency and energy technology.
But there’s no one way to solve this.
I believe in the power
of local communities,
in the transforming effect
of relationships.
So we start by working directly
with the communities
that have the highest energy burdens.
We host workshops
and events for communities
to learn about energy poverty,
and how making even small
updates to their homes
like better insulation for windows
and water heaters
can go a long way to maximize efficiency.
We’re connecting neighborhoods
to community solar
and spearheading community-led
smart home research
and installation programs
to help families bring down
their energy bills.
We’re even working directly
with elected officials,
advocating for more equitable pricing,
because to see this vision
of energy equity and resilience succeed,
we have to work together sustainably.
Now, the US spends
over three billion a year
on energy bill payment assistance.
And these programs do help
millions of people,
but they’re only able to help
a fraction of those in need.
In fact,
there is a 47-billion-dollar
home-energy affordability gap,
so assistance alone is not sustainable.
But by building energy equity
and resilience into our communities,
we can assure fair and impartial access
to energy that is clean,
reliable and affordable.
At scale, microgrid technology,
clean technology and energy efficiency
dramatically improve public health.
And for those with high energy burdens,
it can help them reclaim
20 percent of their income –
20 percent of a person’s income
who’s struggling to make ends meet.
This is life-changing.
This is an opportunity
for families to use their energy savings
to sponsor their future.
I think back to my great-grandmother
and her neighbors,
the impossible choices
that they had to make
and the effect it had
on our whole community.
But this is not just about them.
There are millions nationwide having
to make the same impossible choices today.
And I know high energy burdens
are a tremendous barrier to overcome,
but through relationships
with communities and technology,
we have the paths to overcome them.
And when we do,
we will all be more resilient.
Thank you.
(Applause)