As climate change ratchets up temperatures across the U.S., millions of the poorest Americans grapple with enduring perilous heat or paying costly air conditioning bills.
Bobbie Boyd talks about this summer's heat in her apartment which she shares with her 15-year-old grandson Jeremiah Williams, right, Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023, in Fayetteville, Ark.
Nationwide, nearly 30 million American households struggle to pay their energy bills and qualify for the subsidy, but less than 3% receive it for their summer bills, according to the latest, preliminary federal data. As it stands, many states don’t even offer the assistance for summer months, and those that do often run out of funds before the hottest time of year rolls around. The program was founded decades ago with a focus on winter heating bills and has been slow to adapt to climate change’s hotter summers.
“The Biden-Harris Administration has prioritized ensuring that eligible households seek and receive the utility assistance they need,” she said. “We know we must continue to do all that we can.” “I have to pay the energy bill, I have to have lights, I have to have AC,” the 51-year-old said. And, “I have to eat.”
The federal Weatherization Assistance Program helps shore up low-income homes to make them better insulated, less leaky and reduce reliance on air conditioning and heating altogether. Still, while almost 40 million low-income households are eligible, only about 35,000 households get the help each year, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.“It’s because, just, lack of funds,” said Bruce Tonn, who studies the program at a Tennessee research nonprofit.
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