A Win-Win Program for Working-Class Households and the Environment
By Eric Bonds
COMMENTATOR
The cost of living has been increasing, and electricity rates are expected to rise steeply in Virginia over the next decade. But 32 working-class families in Fredericksburg are going to see a big drop in their energy bills this year thanks to a partnership between the Central Virginia Housing Authority (CVHA) and the Local Energy Alliance Program (LEAP), which brought energy-efficiency upgrades and new rooftop solar panels to area homes.
As governments pull back on their climate ambitions, initiatives like this demonstrate an important truth: reducing carbon emissions can’t only be about sacrifice, it must be done in a just and equitable way that improves people’s lives.
Low-Income Solar
In 2019, The General Assembly required Dominion Energy to fund a low-income solar project. When the program rolled out in 2023, LEAP sought partners around the state and teamed up with CVHA. The Central Virginia Housing Authority is a nonprofit organization that works to secure affordable housing for low-income and working-class Virginians, ensuring that residents living in any of their properties do not pay more than 30% of their income on rent.
LEAP did weatherization for 51 of CVHA’s properties. This included adding attic weatherization, pipe insulation, and switching out incandescent light bulbs for LEDs. LEAP then did a solar energy site assessment for each property. Twelve did not qualify because they were multi-family units, while an additional seven properties didn’t qualify because they had too much shade.
But 32 properties did meet the requirements for solar. According to Erica Dutcher at CVHA, the age of a house’s roof can sometimes inhibit solar panel installation. But CVHA and LEAP did not use this as a disqualifying factor, instead doing roof repairs or replacements as needed.
Each qualifying property was fitted with a five-kilowatt solar array that, along with the energy-efficiency upgrades, will reduce household energy bills by 30-50%. CVHA now owns the panels, and they have an expected lifespan of at least 25 years.
Energy Justice in the ‘Burg
Most people have heard about environmental injustice, which describes the greater likelihood that low-income persons and people of color will live next to environmental hazards. Increasingly, community health advocates are also talking about energy injustice, which points to the fact that low-income residents pay a much higher portion of their budget on heating and cooling compared to their wealthier neighbors. This is, of course, due to the overall smaller household budgets of working-class families, but also because low-income folks are less likely to live in newer energy-efficient houses or own energy-saving appliances.
According to the Department of Energy’s LEAD tool, which maps household energy burden around the country, a family living in Fredericksburg earning $150,000-$200,000 a year might spend 2% of its income on energy. But a family of four living on $50,000 a year — or about 150% of the poverty threshold — will spend almost a tenth of their monthly budget on energy. And a family living at or below the poverty threshold in our city will spend an average of 22% of their household budget on gas and electricity.
In this context, cutting out a big chunk of a low-income family’s energy bill each month makes a real difference. Erica Dutcher explains that for CVHA residents, families can put these savings towards life’s other necessities, like food and prescription medicine.
But the benefits aren’t only about dollars for residents. Dutcher says that she’s observed an emotional boost for some residents, who feel a sense of pride that they are living in a household doing its part to address climate change.
Building From Here
The General Assembly has not required Dominion Energy to continue funding its low-income solar pilot program, which ended in December. But Dutcher explains that she still sees a big need for programs like this. CVHA recently expanded its number of properties in the Fredericksburg area, and they would all likely benefit from solar.
Help might be on the way soon, according to Wilson Ratliff, who is LEAP’s co-executive director. The Inflation Reduction Act passed by Congress in 2022 included significant funding for a “Solar for All” initiative, sending $156 million to the state of Virginia for energy efficiency and solar power. The funding should be made available by the end of 2025.
In the meantime, Ratliff notes that efforts to install free energy-efficiency improvements for low-income residents can continue, and this is an excellent way to both reduce energy use and decrease monthly bills. LEAP has had a great experience working closely with the City of Charlottsville to notify low-income residents about the availability of no-cost efficiency upgrades. A similar partnership with the City of Fredericksburg could help encourage qualifying residents to take advantage of the program.
All too often, sustainability efforts are geared toward homeowners and wealthier residents who have extra time and discretionary income. But the majority of people who live in Fredericksburg rent their homes or apartments. What does sustainability look like for them? CVHA and LEAP’s partnership in our area points to an exciting direction.
According to Dutcher, “building bridges between workforce housing and environmental improvements can have dramatic impacts.” The high cost of living and climate change are two serious challenges facing our community. Luckily, we can find imaginative ways to tackle them both.
Eric Bonds lives in Fredericksburg, and is the proud dad of two kids in city schools. He is a professor of sociology at the University of Mary Washington, but these views are his own and do not reflect the institutional positions or perspectives taken by UMW.
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