November 10, 2022  

In Depth: Overcoming Energy Inequities Among Low-Income and Renter Households

The In Depth section on HUD User’s Regulatory Barriers Clearinghouse (RBC) takes a closer look at innovative state and local strategies, activities, and plans to mitigate the impacts of regulations on the development of affordable housing. Each In Depth article highlights a particular plan, ordinance, or strategy in the RBC database and elaborates on aspects such as the approval process, stakeholder participation, and the progress made in reducing regulatory barriers.

Improving the energy efficiency of housing is an important component of reducing carbon emissions in the United States. Lower-income households disproportionately live in units and buildings that lack energy-efficient features and spend more than 6 percent of their income on energy bills, the threshold for having a high energy burden. A report by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), in partnership with the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, seeks to guide local governments in identifying opportunities for equitably greening rental properties, offering a general framework of action and proposing solutions aimed at both subsidized and naturally occurring affordable housing. The report also includes a series of case studies reviewing rental housing energy-efficiency efforts in four U.S. cities, providing insight into real-world examples.

Visit HUD User’s RBC In Depth page to learn more about the ACEEE report, as well as other plans and initiatives that state and local governments have enacted to reduce impediments to affordable housing.