Project

Energy Cost Burdens for Low-Income Households

Cities & Buildings, Access & Equity

To establish a new method to model household energy cost burdens based on actual energy use patterns at the building level across several major U.S. cities, and to link energy costs to savings opportunities for specific building types and attributes. We seek to address fundamental questions of how energy efficiency and energy cost vary by demographic and income groups, neighborhood, and geographic region, and the economic implications of energy retrofits for renters and owners. 

Grant Result

Low-income households are more likely to be subjected to high energy cost burdens due to inefficient housing, but new energy disclosure data can be used to develop programs that retrofit properties and reduce this inequity.

Read the Insight
A close up image of balconies in an apartment complex

Vincent Reina

Associate Professor of City and Regional Planning

Vincent Reina is an assistant professor of city and regional planning at the Stuart Weitzman School of Design.

Constantine Kontokosta

Associate Professor, New York University

Constantine Kontokosta is an associate professor of urban science and planning and director of the civic analytics program at the NYU Marron Institute of Urban Management.