Environment

The energy burden facing Gainesville's low-income residents is not inevitable.

Hurricane Irma, Richard Spencer, rescued dogs and more.

Many Gainesville residents may not realize how much low-income families struggle to pay utility bills here. A small but committed corps has worked on the problem for years. But ultimately, solving the energy burden will take the larger community and core fixes, from affordable housing to transportation.

Inferior housing is a key factor for why the poor pay more for energy in Gainesville, including rental properties with appliances so old or inefficient that utility bills can rival the rent.

Gainesville residents did not have equal access to energy and water in the wake of the hurricane; the reasons stretch back to the city's historic development roots.

Energy comes at a much greater cost for Gainesville’s poor, from the portion of income spent on utilities to the number of days without power after Hurricane Irma. A special report on why the poor pay more, and what we can do.​