Unsafe temperatures, going without necessities, and unpayable bills: Energy insecurity of people with disabilities in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Energy insecurity disproportionately impacts households of people with disabilities, which is especially harmful for people with disabilities who rely on electric medical devices to live or have difficulties with thermoregulation without access to heating/cooling. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore the energy insecurity of people with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, including compared to nondisabled people and differences among people with disabilities themselves. To do so, we analyzed United States Census Bureau Household Pulse Survey data from 52,890 people with disabilities and 391,532 people without disabilities; frequency-person weights were applied. During the pandemic, 50.8 % of people with disabilities reduced or forwent basic household necessities in order to pay an energy bill, 36.1 % kept their home at an unsafe or unhealthy temperature, and 37.5 % were unable to pay an energy bill during the last year of the pandemic. People with disabilities were also significantly more likely to be energy insecure during the pandemic than people without disabilities, even when other sociodemographic factors, such as income, were controlled. Energy justice demands everyone, including people with disabilities, have access to safe, affordable, and sustainable energy during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.