Utility disconnection protections and the incidence of energy insecurity in the United States.

Energy insecurity-the inability to secure one's energy needs-impacts millions of Americans each year. A particularly severe instance of energy insecurity is when a utility disconnects a household from service, affecting its ability to refrigerate perishable food, purchase medicine, or maintain adequate temperatures. Governments can protect vulnerable populations from disconnections through policies, such as shutoff moratoria or seasonal protections that limit disconnections during extreme weather months. We take advantage of the temporary disconnection moratoria that states implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic to assess the efficacy of state protections on rates of disconnection, spending across other essential needs, and uptake of bill payment assistance. We find that protections reduce disconnections and the need for households to forgo other expenses. We further find that protections are most beneficial to people of color and households with young children. We conclude with a discussion of the policy implications for energy-insecure populations.

Behavioral and financial coping strategies among energy-insecure households.

When households struggle to pay their energy bills and avoid being disconnected from the grid, they may accrue debt, forgo expenses on food, and use space heaters or ovens to warm their homes. These coping strategies can introduce significant physical and financial risks. In this study, we analyze an original survey with a representative sample of low-income households during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, from June 2020 to May 2021. We evaluate the prevalence of a wide range of coping strategies and empirically estimate the determinants of these strategies. We find that more than half of all low-income households engage in at least one coping strategy, and many use multiple strategies. Households with vulnerable members, including young children or those who rely on electronic medical devices, and households that live in deficient housing conditions, are more likely to use a range of coping strategies, and many at once. Our findings have direct implications for public policy improvements, including modifications to the US Weatherization Assistance Program, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and state utility disconnection protections.