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(Media Compendium)
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Projects and Partnerships
Working with
Local Communities
Each year's national conference is
developed with the assistance of a planning committee from the locale where the conference
is to take place. This helps ensure the conference agenda will address the low-income
energy issues of greatest importance to the local community. In recent years,
the NLIEC has
placed a greater emphasis in partnering with local organizations to assist them in
reducing energy hardships experienced by their low-income residents:
St. Louis
In 2004, the National Low Income Energy Consortium commissioned a statewide energy poverty study in Missouri showing that unaffordable energy bills threaten families’ health, education and employment. The study was conducted by Roger Colton, a nationally known leader in energy cost research with the Massachusetts firm of Fisher, Sheehan and Colton.
The NLIEC chose to measure the extent and determine the consequences of energy poverty in Missouri because the lessons learned there can be applied throughout the nation. The state has both urban and rural areas, and it has energy hardships from both cold winters and hot summers. Among the study's key findings were that:
The complete report, titled Paid But Unaffordable: The Consequences of Energy Poverty in Missouri, was released in St. Louis at the NLIEC's 18th annual conference.
Pittsburgh
The NLIEC sponsored a fundraising event for the local fuel fund that raised over $15,000 for energy assistance. As a result of a dollar-for-dollar match by a local utility company, this endeavor resulted in over $30,000 in fuel assistance funds for low-income consumers in the Pittsburgh area.
Ohio
The
NLIEC provided
organizational development, training and technical support to community groups throughout
the state, resulting in a statewide low-income energy collaborative called the Ohio
Partners for Affordable Energy (OPAE). The OPAE provided strong representation of low-income
energy interests during discussions of state legislation to deregulate the electric
utility industry and was successful in getting electricity deregulation legislation
enacted that provides substantial protections and financial support for Ohio's low-income
consumers.
New Orleans
The NLIEC helped a local weatherization organization secure a donation of fiberglass insulation. It also fostered dialogue between grassroots organizations, local government and a utility provider, resulting in more open channels of communication and improved services for low-income residents.
Baltimore
NLIEC helped a budding, local nonprofit organization complete its first housing project, an energy-efficient row house, by assisting the group in locating donations of funding and materials. It also sponsored a small fundraising project for the local fuel fund.
Indianapolis
NLIEC launched a community education and information exchange project which, through a grant from the Indianapolis Foundation, provided scholarships to 30 local energy and housing organizations. National experts who spoke at NLIEC conference workshops, made site visits to the local organizations' housing/energy rehabilitation projects, providing advice and stirring local interest.
Collaborating With Other Organizations
The
Cold Facts
The report, which was produced with support from the Boston-based Citizens Energy Corporation, outlines:
Both versions of this report are in PDF format and require Adobe Acrobat Reader for viewing. A free copy of the Adobe Acrobat Reader may be downloaded from the Adobe web site.
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National Low Income Energy Consortium
Headquarters: 6324 Beryl Road, Alexandria, VA 22312 Ÿ Phone 703-642-9070 Fax 703-916-7850
Conference Office: 226 Paul Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15211 Ÿ Phone 412-431-5087 Fax 412.431.5214 conference@nliec.org
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