C3 and County Awarded Grant to Study Energy Burden
This press release was published to local media outlets on May 5, 2022.
Albemarle County, Adiuvans Foundation, and the Community Climate Collaborative (C3) received a grant award from Partners for Places, a joint project of The Funders Network and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network. The grant in the amount of $10,000 will be used to understand the distribution of energy burden in Albemarle County.
As global temperatures continue to rise, so will energy costs, disproportionately impacting frontline communities. Black, Indigenous, economically disadvantaged, and elderly populations are more vulnerable to climate change impacts and often have the least ability to mitigate dramatic temperature shifts with electrical upgrades and clean energy. They are also more likely to reside in older, energy-inefficient housing which can further exacerbate energy burden and be a significant source of polluting emissions. A targeted understanding of where energy burden is highest will allow for focused initiatives to gain feedback on potential solutions and ensure an equitable, efficient distribution of aid.
“This project will help Albemarle County better understand how to advance energy equity while also reducing our community-wide greenhouse gas emissions,” said Gabe Dayley, Climate Protection Program Manager for Albemarle County. “We are excited to incorporate this analysis into our Climate Action Plan implementation and our climate resilience planning process.”
The proposed project will build on a similar report published by C3 in 2020 analyzing energy burden in the City of Charlottesville.
“Our Charlottesville report found 1 in 4 households experience unsustainable energy burden levels, and 1 in 5 pay more than 10% of their income on energy,” said Susan Kruse, Executive Director of C3. “Our project with Albemarle County will help to align climate priorities with the critical need to alleviate the costs of housing.”
The project will commence in late summer and fall of 2022 with results expected next Spring.
“This project will effectively demonstrate how investing in energy equity can benefit our community socially, economically, and environmentally, and result in intersectional policies that could be replicated across Virginia,” said Grey McLean, Director of the Adiuvans Foundation who will also provide funding for the project.
About Partners for Places
A joint project of The Funders Network and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, Partners for Places is a successful matching grant program that improves U.S. and Canadian communities by building partnerships between local government leaders, frontline community-led groups, and place-based foundations. National funders invest in local projects developed through these partnerships to advance efforts to create communities that are sustainable, prosperous, and just. For more information on Partners for Places, visit fundersnetwork.org/partners-for-places/
About Community Climate Collaborative
The Community Climate Collaborative aims to bring communities together to lead on climate by working closely with schools, businesses, citizens, and local governments to implement carbon emissions reductions, develop climate action plans, and enact equitable policies that accelerate climate action. Visit theclimatecollaborative.org.
About Albemarle County
Climate change presents a unique challenge and a unique opportunity. Albemarle County stands with cities, counties, and other public and private sector partners throughout the world to advance bold climate action in service of a healthy planet for all and for the prosperity, health, and well-being of our community. As a local government, we have a responsibility for leadership in reducing the community’s contribution to climate change and charting a sustainable future. Albemarle County’s target is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the community by 45% from 2008 levels by 2030 and to achieve zero net emissions by 2050. Visit their website at www.albemarle.org.
About Adiuvans Foundation
Climate change is the greatest challenge of our generation, and Adiuvans is focused on enabling a greater and faster response to climate change in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
PRESS CONTACT: Susan Kruse, Executive Director, Community Climate Collaborative, (434) 284-0870, or susan@theclimatecollaborative.org