Energy Burden Calculator
Energy Burden Calculator
Calculate Your Energy Burden
The Energy Burden Calculator can be used to help you estimate the percentage of your income that is spent on energy expenses (electricity and home fuels). Generally, a household energy burden over 6% is considered unaffordable.
Enter your household income and average monthly gas and electric bill for the summer and winter to calculate household's energy burden. Information entered on this form will not be recorded.
Result: Your Energy Burden
What Does That Mean?
Use the calculator above to see if your energy burden is low, high, or very high and what this means for you.
My Energy Burden is Low
You have an energy burden that is below six percent. That means that you allocate less than six percent of your income towards your energy costs. Six percent of income is considered the maximum affordable amount for utility bills. In order to further reduce your energy burden, explore energy conservation programs and incentives in your state.
My Energy Burden is High
You have an energy burden that is above six percent. That means that you allocate more than six percent of your income towards your energy costs. Six percent of income is considered the maximum affordable amount for energy bills, therefore you are paying an unaffordable amount towards your energy bills. Having a high energy burden means that you may have to make choices between paying your energy bills or other household necessities. If you need help paying your home energy bills, find out if you are eligible for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Your electric or gas utility may also offer bill payment assistance. You can also get weatherization improvements and upgrades for your home that will lower your energy costs through the Weatherization Assistance Program.
My Energy Burden is Very High
You have an energy burden that is above ten percent. That means that you allocate more than ten percent of your income towards your energy costs. You are paying an unaffordable amount towards your energy bills. It is highly likely that you are foregoing necessities such as food and medical care in order to pay your energy bills. If you need help paying your home energy bills, find out if you are eligible for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. The State Emergency Relief program can also provide help with energy-related expenses in a crisis. You can also get weatherization improvements and upgrades for your home that will lower your energy costs through the Weatherization Assistance Program.
Resources
- Find your State Weatherization Assistance Provider: The Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) enables low-income families to reduce their energy bills by making their homes more energy efficient.
National Community Action Partnership - Find your State Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Provider: The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps keep families safe and healthy through initiatives that assist families with energy costs. We provide federally funded assistance in managing costs associated with home energy bills, energy crises, weatherization and energy-related minor home repairs.
LIHEAP (Map for State and Territory Contact listing)
Learn More About Energy Burden
A household's access to energy is essential to health, comfort and well-being. But many households suffer from a high energy burden and struggle to pay their energy bills. High energy burdens are often defined as allocating greater than 6% of income towards energy costs, while severe energy burdens are those greater than 10% of income (APPRISE 2005). Factors that may increase energy burden include the physical condition of a home, a household’s ability to invest in energy-efficient upgrades, and the availability of energy efficiency programs and incentives.
Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities often experience the highest energy burdens when compared to more affluent or white households, a possible explanation for this is the history of discriminatory housing policy, racial segregation and differences in housing stock in the United States.(Kontokosta, Reina, and Bonczak 2019; Drehobl and Ross 2016; Hernández et al. 2016; Lyubich 2020)
Living in inefficient housing is a major contributor to having a high energy burden. While low-income and communities of color on average consume less energy than wealthier households, they are more likely to live in less-efficient housing (Bednar, Reames, and Keoleian 2017).
Households experiencing energy burden may go without needed energy use to reduce energy bills, forcing them to live in uncomfortable and unsafe homes. (Hernández, Phillips, and Siegel 2016). High energy burdens can have mental health impacts—such as chronic stress, anxiety, and depression—associated with fear and uncertainty around access to energy, the complexities of navigating energy assistance programs, and the inability to control energy costs (Hernández, Phillip, and Siegel 2016).