Introduction

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The objective was to quantify the gap between "affordable" home energy bills and "actual" home energy bills. We were successful.

In 2003, Fisher, Sheehan & Colton (FSC) introduced a model that calculated the dollar amount by which "actual" home energy bills exceeded "affordable" home energy bills on a county-by-county basis for the entire country. This is the "home energy affordability gap."

Updated every year since then, the model has become an invaluable tool for research, legislative analysis, program-planning and advocacy. The analyses are used by individuals and organizations across the country.

Explore our site and learn how the Home Energy Affordability Gap model:

• Provides different levels of aggregation to address different audiences;
  
  
• Features a variety of Affordability Gap measurements; and
  
  
• Retains historical data to provide historical perspective.

For Example

Michigan's 2nd Congressional District: The 2005 Home Energy Affordability Gap for each household at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level was $1,071 or $89/month.

For Example

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania: The total 2008 Home Energy Affordability Gap for all households at or below 185% of the Federal Poverty Level was $1,570,761,808.

For Example

The South Atlantic Census Division: LIHEAP grants covered 6.7% of the heating/cooling Affordability Gap in 2008. This is up from a coverage ratio of 5.7% in 2007, but down considerably from a coverage ratio of 11.4% in 2004.

For Example

Marion County Oregon: The 2005 Home Energy Affordability Gap for each household at or below 50% of the Federal Poverty Level was $1,261. That was a home energy burden (bill as a percentage of income) of 36.5%. Housing analysts consider an energy burden of more than six percent (6%) to be unaffordable.