The low-income Energy Affordability Data (LEAD) Tool is the primary data source for finding Energy Burden. Energy Burden is the percentage of a household’s annual income spent on energy costs. According to Moore’s definition of fuel poverty, the Energy Burden relates to energy poverty and energy stress (Moore, 2011). Hernandez and Bird highlight three consequences of energy burden: high energy burden creates illness and stress, financial challenges, and housing instability (Hernandez and Bird, 2010). Thus, understanding the dimension of Energy Burden and energy characteristics in low-income housing in Upper Albany can help states, communities, and other stakeholders create better energy strategies and eliminate inequality in energy usage.
Upper Albany suffers a higher average yearly Energy Burden than Hartford and Connecticut. In Upper Albany, the average Energy Burden among 2485 households is 7.6%, which means, on average, 7.6% of the total 2485 households’ income goes to pay for energy needs.
