high utility bills put affordable housing out of reach.

There are many programs locally that address bill assistance and weatherization/repair. Unfortunately, they do not have the funds or capacity to serve the current need. We suggest implementing policies and programs to address at-risk housing stock and improve building envelopes and upgrade appliances, such as establishing a critical repair fund and providing landlord incentives for upgrades. We also suggest updating the international energy conservation code (IECC) in new buildings to upgrade from 2009 standards to more efficient standards, such as the 2021 or 2024 IECC.

Expand and coordinate assistance programs, including creating a one-stop shop for applications and implementing automatic enrollment to ensure vulnerable households can access the support they need. AKA – if you qualify for one program, like SNAP, you should be automatically enrolled into the other programs, like LIHEAP. Not everyone can keep track of 10+ applications!

Louisville MSD depends heavily on fixed charges to fund infrastructure upgrades, with these fees making up 63% of a typical bill at 4,000 gallons per month. This structure places a disproportionate burden on low-usage, often low-income households, and reduces the incentive to conserve water.

A better option might be to lower fixed fees and charge more based on how much water people use. Utilities should also consider adopting new program models, such as PIPP (Percentage of Income Payment Plans), which cap customer charges at a certain percentage of their income, ensuring that even very low-income households have a pathway to secure affordable utility bills.

We suggest bringing together stakeholders from across the city, including utilities, nonprofits, and community groups, to ensure a unified and effective strategy for tackling utility affordability. The PSC can require the formation of an affordability collaborative made up of utilities, consumer advocates, and others to review the low-income program offerings from all investor-owned utilities in Kentucky for robustness and effectiveness, and where needed, to develop and implement new programs. We also support data sharing – without access to real data, we can’t understand what our neighbors need. Data will allow policy makers, advocates, and researchers to propose targeted solutions.