Energy Poverty is closer to home than you think:  one out of three households in the US struggle to pay their home energy bills – representing a significant part of the utility rate base.  Federal funding is only sufficient to reach about 20 percent of eligible households leaving many struggling to keep the lights on. State and utility programs provide supplemental assistance in some regions, but support is uneven across the nation and benefits are often barely enough to keep the lights on. In addition, weatherization and more recently renewable energy programs that help reduce consumption and increase affordability have been cut to the bone, making it difficult for low-income families to climb out of energy poverty.
 
This session will bring together experts from the federal, state and utility sectors to discuss how this patchwork of services attempts to address energy poverty in the U.S. and the ways in which it falls short.

Panelists will include:

Mark Wolfe
Executive Director
National Energy Assistance Directors' Association
 
Chris Mele
Legislative Director – Energy
National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners
  
Häly Laasme-McQuilkin
Northeast Regional Representative
National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association Board
 
Nina Moussavi
Legislative Analyst
Government Affairs and Public Policy
American Gas Association
 
Jessica Franks
Director, Government Relations
Edison Electric Institute