Energy Justice Lab: Millions face utility shutoffs; medical-device users, young children at higher risk

Researchers from the Energy Justice Lab at the University of Pennsylvania and Indiana University presented new national research on utility disconnections and energy insecurity at a Public Utilities Commission energy equity meeting.

"Each year in the United States over 1 in 4 households experienced some form of energy insecurity," Sonia Carli, co-director of the Energy Justice Lab and Presidential Distinguished Professor of Energy Policy and City Planning at the University of Pennsylvania, said during the presentation. The lab estimated that about 2,000,000 households had electricity or natural gas shut off for nonpayment in 2023, noting that figure likely understates the total because relatively few utilities publicly report disconnection data.

Why it matters: disconnecti…