HIEE Energy Burden Brief 2022

Approximately 718,684 Virginia households pay more than six percent of their household income for electricity and other fuel costs. About 30 percent of these households, 210,344, have low incomes and among the highest energy costs (top 25%) for their region. These households are excellent candidates for energy efficiency interventions including weatherization and home energy upgrades, mobile home replacement, and/or opportunities to move to a more energy efficient and comfortable residence. Efforts to provide these households with more energy efficient residences would achieve dual goals of freeing up household income to meet other needs and conserving costly energy resources. VCHR analyzed energy costs, energy burden, and household characteristics that contribute to high energy costs and energy burden to prepare estimates of where households with high energy costs live. Though there are households with high energy costs and energy burdens throughout the state, these estimates highlight where large numbers of households with high energy costs are concentrated and where public investments are likely to have the greatest impact for individuals and communities.