Clean energy technology can reduce energy costs for low-income people

I'm Dr. Anthony Lijowitz, and this is Climate Connections. Low-income people often spend a large portion of their money on energy. Weatherization assistance programs can help them access insulation, weather stripping, and other energy saving improvements. But even after these services, many people struggle to pay their bills. So Hetty Brown of the nonprofit Coolicap says existing programs should be expanded. We also want to make sure that we're including solar, heat pumps, and other modern technology so that the low-income community can also benefit from these technologies. So Coolicap is piloting this approach and sharing results with the state of Wisconsin. The team recently installed solar panels and air source heat pumps at the first of two demonstration sites, an apartment building in La Crosse. We had already weatherized the building, but we could see that the residents there were having to rely on state energy benefits year over year over year. Brown expects the new technology will help residents save enough energy to transition off these benefits. This not only helps that family be economically stable, which is good for our entire community, but it also saves the state money, saves taxpayers' money, and allows those benefits to go to other community members who may be struggling. Climate Connections is produced by the Yale Center for Environmental Communication. To hear more stories like this, visit climateconnections.org. ♪♪