Throughout August, Appalachian Voices worked with community members in East Tennessee to find ways to expand energy efficiency programs in their area.
Blog Archives
What do electric co-ops have to do with economic justice?
The nonprofit WeOwnIt initiative was established in 2015 to create a national network for cooperative members of all sectors to have the rights, education and tools to implement organizing practices. This year, WeOwnIt is concentrating efforts towards electric co-ops.
O’ TVA where art thou?
The Tennessee Valley Authority was created in the 1930s to bring cheap electricity to the most rural reaches of the Tennessee River valley. Almost a century later, many residents are struggling to pay electric bills that can be hundreds of dollars a month for their modest homes. Utility-sponsored financing to help with energy-efficiency improvements would go a long way.
TAGS: claiborne county Energy Efficiency Energy Savings Powell Valley southern alliance for Tennessee Tennessee Valley Authority TVA weatherization
Do-It-Yourself tips for energy efficiency: Heating & Cooling
Education is a key part of our work, and one way we are helping residents lower their energy costs is by creating and sharing some short videos with Do-It-Yourself energy efficiency tip. This video features John Kidda, founder and President of reNew Homes, Inc., in Boone, N.C., discusses programmable thermostats as a way to save on heating and cooling.
TAGS: Appalachian Voices Electric Utilities Energy Efficiency Energy Savings Health North Carolina Tennessee
Energy bill acrobatics
For the Schmidt family of Tazewell, Tennessee, managing their budget is a balancing act, and one they have become very good at. But high electric bills–up to $300 in the winter–makes that balance tricky to maintain, sometimes leaving very little for emergency funds, much less for the home repairs they need that could actually lower their energy use.
Federal Support for Clean Energy Financing and other shorts
Federal support for clean energy financing, carbon emissions from coal mine drainage, new pollution controls for a proposed natural gas plant and more short stories.
TAGS: abandoned mine lands carbon dioxide Coal mining Economic diversification Energy Efficiency natural gas pipelines Renewable Energy rural electric cooperatives Virginia
The importance of being earnest — about energy efficiency
Energy use and costs are higher in Appalachia than the national average, so when a high proportion of family income goes towards paying the utility bill, something needs to be done in order to reduce people’s electricity bills through improved home energy efficiency.
TAGS: electric co-ops Energy Efficiency Energy Saving on-bill financing rural electric cooperatives weatherization
Speaking up for energy savings
A story on We Own It, a national network to help electric cooperative members rediscover their role as owners of a democratically-controlled enterprise, recounts the efforts of Appalachian Voices’ Energy Savings for the High Country campaign — and how we helped members of Blue Ridge Electric get their co-op’s attention on energy efficiency.
The Changing Nature of Rural Electric Cooperatives in the 21st Century
Learn more about how rural electric cooperatives are leading the way to a more sustainable energy future, by helping their members pay for energy efficiency home improvements.
Survey says … energy efficiency financing needed in western NC
Appalachian Voices recently conducted a Facebook survey in western North Carolina served by rural electric co-ops. Almost 90% of the respondents survey said they had trouble paying their electric bill. Tens of thousands of homes in this region are older and drafty, losing energy through windows, doors and roofs. Yet almost half the population is below the poverty line. A new financing mechanism for energy efficiency improvements could work wonders.
TAGS: Electric Cooperatives energy conservation Energy Efficiency energy efficient Energy Savings North Carolina on-bill financing
