SECC's "Racial Disparities Among Lower-Income Energy Consumers" white paper was developed from a national online survey of 1,000 Americans with incomes under $50,000 annually. The survey asked respondents how and when they engage with their electricity providers; how interested they are in smart energy technologies (e.g., community solar, smart thermostats, smart appliances); where they typically receive information on saving electricity; what they think about climate change and the environment; how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted their households and more.
The paper found that while lower-income Black and POC consumers often have greater financial and household struggles, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, these consumers are much more likely to be concerned with climate change and the environment. Black and POC consumers are more likely to:
- Say the government should invest in renewable energy (88% and 86% vs. 79%).
- Vote for representatives based on their environmental concerns (74% and 72% vs. 49%).
- Want electricity from clean sources (88% and 86% vs. 74%).
- And worry about the health effects of pollution (91% and 86% vs. 83%).
In addition, lower-income Black and POC households are more interested than lower-income White households in all eight of the smart energy technologies tested. For example, 39% of Black households and 36% of POC households are very interested in smart thermostats compared to 21% of White households, and 38% of Black households and 34% of POC households are very interested in community solar compared to 25% of White households. However, Black and POC households are also more likely to cite financial barriers for accessing these technologies.
The "Racial Disparities Among Lower-Income Energy Consumers" white paper can be downloaded here, and the key findings will be presented during a one-hour webinar with the research team on Thursday, Feb. 18 at 1 p.m. (ET).
To learn more about SECC, visit www.smartenergycc.org or follow @seconsumer on Twitter.
Jonathan Field
Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative
404-348-8015
jonathan.field@smartenergycc.org
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