C3 Releases Report on Energy Inequities

Community Climate Collaborative Releases Report on Energy Inequities that Exist in Charlottesville Neighborhoods

##PRESS RELEASE##

For Immediate Release

Charlottesville, Virginia – July 29, 2020

A new report released by the Community Climate Collaborative (C3), a 501 c (3) nonprofit organization based in Charlottesville, Virginia, highlights inequities in energy cost burden felt by Charlottesville city residents.

The report authored by C3’s Director of Climate Policy, Caetano de Campos Lopes, is entitled Uncovering Energy Inequity:  An Analysis of How Energy Burden is Distributed in Charlottesville. Energy Burden can be defined as the portion of a household income spent on energy costs. An energy burden of greater than 6% is considered to be unsustainable. Key findings include:

●      Nearly 5,000 Charlottesville households experience energy burden which means they pay more than 6% of their income on energy bills.

●      851 households pay 20% of their income on utility bills. In other words, a household that makes $23,340 per year (or 30% of the average median income) would pay $389 per month on energy costs alone.

●      The most impacted neighborhood are 10th and Page/Venable with 54% of those households paying 10% or more on their energy bills.

●      While Charlottesville’s average energy burden is 2.3%, extremely-low income households face the highest average energy burden, paying approximately 16% of their income on energy alone.

●      Given the same built year, renters seem to bear twice the energy burden levels than homeowners.

●      Reducing a household’s energy burden to 6% through energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements could free up to 18% of that household’s annual income.

As temperatures and energy costs expected to only rise, these disparities must be addressed. Report author Caetano de Campos Lopes says, "Charlottesville needs to advance housing affordability, meet its climate goals, and be more equitable. This report shows that solutions to these three pillars of our community can, and should, be achieved simultaneously."

“In this well-researched and important report, C3 provides data on a question CLIHC [Charlottesville Low-Income Housing Coalition] has been asking for years: how many Charlottesville residents face displacement due to economic factors beyond rent or mortgage payments?” remarks Laura Goldblatt, Commissioner for the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority. “In mapping energy burden across our city, C3 has provided crucial insights into such questions and given a moral imperative to craft targeted policy that simultaneously lowers emissions, improves affordability, and delivers climate justice to our most vulnerable populations.”

C3 will host two webinars to share the key findings and reactions from local affordable housing advocates on Thursday, July 30th at Noon and 5:30pm.

What: Uncovering Energy Inequity Webinar

When: Thursday, July 30th, Noon and Thursday, July 30th at 5:30pm.

Featured Speakers: Caetano de Campos Lopes, C3 Director of Climate Policy; Laura Goldblatt, member of the Charlottesville Low-Income Housing Coalition (CLIHC), Commissioner for the Charlottesville Redevelopment and Housing Authority, and Assistant Professor of English, University of Virginia; Javier Raudales, Client Services Coordinator for Sin Barreras (5:30pm only).

Who: Community stakeholders, affordable housing and climate advocates, and interested members of the public.

Access: Zoom link for Noon session: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87252665005 meeting ID:  72 5266 5005  and 5:30pm session: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82408138648 meeting ID: 824 0813 8648

To view the whole report, visit our Uncovering Energy Inequity page.

More About the Community Climate Collaborative

The Community Climate Collaborative aims to bring communities together to lead on climate. C3 works closely with citizens, businesses, and local governments to develop climate action plans to accelerate climate action with our residential Home Energy Challenge and the Better Business Challenge, delivering climate solutions that are practical, tangible, and quantifiable. Additionally, we develop and advocate for equitable climate policy solutions for adoption in the City and the County.

Website:  theclimatecollaborative.org Twitter: @c3climate Instagram: @c3climateFacebook: Community Climate Collaborative

PRESS CONTACT: Teri Kent, Director of Programs and Communication, Community Climate Collaborative, at (434) 466-5157 or teri@theclimatecollaborative.org