This report examines residential energy affordability at the national and regional levels as well as in 25 of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States.

ACEEE analyzed how household energy burdens—the percentage of household income spent on energy bills—vary across specific groups based on factors such as income, housing type and age, tenure, race and ethnicity, and occupant age.

Findings demonstrate that high energy burdens are a persistent national challenge. They also find that nationally, regionally, and across all metro areas, low-income, Black, Hispanic, Native American, and older adult households had disproportionally higher energy burdens than the average household. 

ACEEE concludes by highlighting weatherization as a long-term strategy that can mitigate high energy burdens, and we explore policy-related strategies to accelerate, improve, and better target low-income housing retrofits, energy efficiency, and weatherization.

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