Attention on Affordability: Community Event Spotlight Energy Insecurity
As the affordability discourse galvanized electoral politics, public health researchers and community groups came together in the South Bronx to highlight energy insecurity. An estimated one in three Americans has difficulty paying their energy bills, and the proportion of Bronxites falling behind is significantly higher.
On a recent evening, a steady stream of visitors took part in an interactive experience where they learned about various dimensions of energy insecurity and ways to address it, while also sharing their personal experiences with the issue. Columbia Mailman’s Energy Equity, Housing and Health (E2H2) Program, led by Diana Hernández, professor of sociomedical sciences, organized the Power Uptown! event with partners including the Association for Energy Affordability Inc., Bronx & Brooklyn Clean Energy Hub, ConEd, and South Bronx Unite. A team of Columbia staff and student workers with E2H2 ensured the evening ran smoothly.
Passing from room to room along a designated route, visitors lingered at a series of stations where they took in a demonstration of an induction stove while learning about the health risks of using gas; heard from a ConEd representative about credits available through their Energy Affordability Program (EAP); and sat for interviews where they shared their experiences with energy insecurity. A “trade-offs and hard choices” exercise challenged visitors to decide how to allocate limited resources, choosing between essentials like housing, food, health care, transportation, and utilities.
One visitor, Walter Bosque, a Harlem resident born in the Bronx who volunteers with the environmental justice group South Bronx Unite, shared his thoughts on the importance of protecting seniors like him from energy shut-offs due to non-payment. Many older adults depend on CPAPs, oxygen concentrators, and other devices powered by electricity, he noted. If a utility cuts power, the result could be fatal. “If you’re senior, they shouldn’t shut off your power,” Bosque said.
The original iteration of Power Uptown! debuted in 2024 during Climate Week at The Forum with support from Columbia’s Provost Office. It was designed to fill a gap: While scientists and policymakers came together to engage with climate change, regular New Yorkers were largely left on the sidelines. “I saw an opportunity to engage with our local communities about how the climate is affecting them, and to hear their visions and aspirations for a better future,” Hernández says. Climate change is exacerbating energy insecurity, in part by increasing the frequency of power outages and rising temperatures, she added.
Now in its third year, Power Uptown! moved from being hosted at the university to the community. It also represents a homecoming of sorts for Hernández. “I'm a South Bronx native. Doing work here has always meant a lot to me,” she says. She did her early, foundational research on the topic in collaboration with the Association for Energy Affordability, whose headquarters served as the event’s location. Hernández and Columbia Mailman also have a deep connection with South Bronx Unite.
Hernández founded E2H2 in 2013 to promote research on housing and household energy as social and environmental determinants of health. Among E2H2’s projects is a student-led, community-focused digital interview project, StreetTalk, and related social media platform, Hot & Cold NYC, featuring the faces and places of energy insecurity.
Like many of her colleagues, Hernández’s work doesn’t end with publication in peer-reviewed journals. Engaging with communities affected by energy insecurity is a crucial part of her process. She explains: “For people who have experienced energy insecurity, we want this experience to be validating. It’s meant to say: ‘We understand your struggle.’ For others, it’s designed to bring visibility to a topic that may not be top of mind. We want everyone to see what their neighbors are experiencing.”