Energy Poverty and Utility Disconnections in the United States, with Sanya Carley

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Sanya Carley, a professor and faculty director at the University of Pennsylvania and a university fellow at Resources for the Future, about energy poverty in the United States. Carley discusses the problem of utility disconnections, which occurs when a utility turns off a household’s water, electricity, or heat; the potentially risky strategies that households employ to avoid shutoffs by reducing energy consumption and costs; the groups that are most vulnerable to disconnection; and potential improvements to government programs that help low-income households pay utility bills.

References and recommendations:

“Behavioral and financial coping strategies among energy-insecure households” by Sanya Carley, Michelle Graff, David M. Konisky, and Trevor Memmott; pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2205356119

“Assessing demographic vulnerability and weather impacts on utility disconnections in California” by Trevor Memmott, David M. Konisky, and Sanya Carley; nature.com/articles/s41467-024-53913-y

“Which households are energy insecure? An empirical analysis of race, housing conditions, and energy burdens in the United States” by Michelle Graff, Sanya Carley, David M. Konisky, and Trevor Memmott; sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S221…

Utility Disconnections Dashboard; energyjustice.indiana.edu/disconnection-dashbo…

“The incidence of extreme economic stress: Evidence from utility disconnections” by Steve Cicala; sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S004…

“High temperatures and electricity disconnections for low-income homes in California” by Alan Barreca, R. Jisung Park, and Paul Stainier; nature.com/articles/s41560-022-01134-2

“Minnesota’s energy paradox: Household energy insecurity in the face of racial and economic disparities” by Bhavin Pradhan and Gabriel Chan; sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S104…

“The Night Watchman” by Louise Erdrich; harpercollins.com/products/the-night-watchman-…