1 in 7 Decatur Households Face Severe Energy Burden
Have you ever had your power shutoff by Georgia Power? Have you ever had to choose between keeping the air conditioning running or paying for new clothes for your child?
1 in 4 households in the City of Decatur face high energy burden rates. And 1 in 7 face severe energy burden rates according to the latest 2020 Greenlink Energy/Equity Maps. For those households who have high or severe energy burden, they may have to make choices about what to sacrifice. Here's an example of what's available with the GEM tool. ->
Energy burden is the percent of median yearly income that households pay for electricity and gas bills.
Households nationally on average pay about 3% of their income on energy bills. A household that pays 6% or more is considered high energy burden, while greater than 10% is considered to have a severe energy burden.
There are two factors that influence our energy burden other than income. They are our household energy consumption and our climate. Poorly insulated and weatherized dwellings mean more energy dollars go out the window or up in smoke.
As our climate warms we will face increased need for air conditioning. Historically in the 1990’s Decatur had an average of 7 days above 95 degrees. Now that number is above 23 days! This number is increasing, and within 25 years we can expect 65 days over 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Increasing energy bills and increasing heat make a terrible situation and we know that these burdens fall disproportionately on Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) in our commmunity.
So how many households face high and severe energy burdens in the City of Decatur?
High Energy Burden > 6% = 2124 Households
Severe Energy Burden > 10% = 1268 Households
Approximately 40% of these households are multifamily dwellings, of which most are rentals.
So the question is what can we do about this situation?
We can do our part to lower our carbon emissions as a city. See our [Decatur Clean Energy Plan]2. We can also support energy and equity programs for those with the highest energy burdens. Energy efficiency not only saves money and lessens our climate impact, it also improves our health and comfort.
Together we will change this situation. Thanks for all you do!