Sustainable Energy & Financial Solvency
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Our Sustainable Household Energy Management initiative leverages scalable solutions to meet energy efficiency (EE) needs identified by limited-income (LI) households in New Mexico. We recognize socioeconomic solvency intersects both with sustainable energy access and pervasive racial inequities. Through SHEM, we aim to catalyze innovative solutions for mitigating household environmental and climate stressors, which often are magnifiers and multipliers of financial risk.
Our SHEM initiative includes a project group of 350 LI Albuquerque households—whose responses to an extensive survey about their needs, concerns, and a general understanding of EE and renewable energy informed our community-centered, collaborative strategies. Sixty (60) percent of surveyed families were living on $10,000 or less in a family size of two to five, and almost all of them had deferred food, medicine, and medical care to pay their utility bills. Since July 2020, Prosperity Works has worked with trusted community leaders at Partnership for Community Action and a PNM EE implementer to provide EE retrofits to no fewer than 20 LI homes per week. EE audits inform which resources are installed per household—such as lighting, door weatherstripping, faucet aerators, power strips, smart thermostats, and EE refrigerators. With these EE upgrades, households reduce their energy use, and the associated financial burden—saving households hundreds of dollars a year. Not only do EE upgrades enhance residents’ safety and comfort, but they also help improve household health and wellbeing by reducing exposure to pollutants emitted by inefficient household systems. Reducing household energy costs can help LI households save money to meet their essential needs and save for the future. Relatedly, with the passage of New Mexico’s Energy Transition Act (ETA) and its aggressive carbon reduction goals, much attention has been focused on new technologies and renewable energy—while we have been focused on an equitable energy transition. The ETA climate goals cannot be met without including equitable policies and practices that address the needs of LI populations. |
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Community Partnership
We are proud that SHEM has the unanimous support of the Albuquerque City Council, and are thankful for Councilor Diane Gibson’s efforts. We are grateful for the Council’s investment in our initiative, and their acknowledgment of how SHEM is at the forefront of reducing carbon emissions, improving our environment, and enhancing LI homeowners’ housing stock.
Partnering with local businesses and organizations, and leveraging our respective resources and expertise, form the basis for our collaborative, high impact outcomes. Our SHEM partners include:
Partnering with local businesses and organizations, and leveraging our respective resources and expertise, form the basis for our collaborative, high impact outcomes. Our SHEM partners include:
- PNM
- Partnership for Community Action
- Central New Mexico Housing Corporation
- The Turner Foundation
- City of Albuquerque
- NM Collaborative Zone Grant Fund, Santa Fe Community Foundation
Supporting Local Limited-income Communities
Despite living in the U.S. for over 20 years, Luz does not qualify for any federal aid. Her sole income source is her small business of buying and selling used shoes. With the onset of COVID, and its affiliated closures and social-distancing limitations, her business—and financial solvency—is in jeopardy.
Given the strong, trust-based relationship she forged with the community leaders at Partnership for Community Action, Luz opened her home for PNM to perform an energy audit. In this way, our relationships with community-embedded partners allow us to reach LI homeowners expediently and unobtrusively and offer them EE audits.
Following the audit, Luz ’s home was outfitted with LED lighting, a smart thermostat, and an EE refrigerator; as an additional cost-saving measure, we worked with her to turn down her hot water heater’s temperature. "Things like these help us a lot," said Luz. She is hoping that the reduction in her electricity bill will have a significant impact on her limited budget—especially given the ongoing economic downturn.
Through SHEM, we and our partners will continue to collaborate with LI households to develop long-term, cost-saving measures to help them enhance their homes and make them safer and healthier—so that they are better positioned to weather any future economic downturns and save for the future.
Given the strong, trust-based relationship she forged with the community leaders at Partnership for Community Action, Luz opened her home for PNM to perform an energy audit. In this way, our relationships with community-embedded partners allow us to reach LI homeowners expediently and unobtrusively and offer them EE audits.
Following the audit, Luz ’s home was outfitted with LED lighting, a smart thermostat, and an EE refrigerator; as an additional cost-saving measure, we worked with her to turn down her hot water heater’s temperature. "Things like these help us a lot," said Luz. She is hoping that the reduction in her electricity bill will have a significant impact on her limited budget—especially given the ongoing economic downturn.
Through SHEM, we and our partners will continue to collaborate with LI households to develop long-term, cost-saving measures to help them enhance their homes and make them safer and healthier—so that they are better positioned to weather any future economic downturns and save for the future.