Summary: Three well-known researchers within the energy assistance community – David Carroll and Jackie Berger of APPRISE and Roger Colton of Fisher Sheehan and Colton – joined forces in late 2006 and early 2007 to conduct a national study of ratepayer-funded low-income energy programs. Their findings were presented during a plenary forum at the 21st Annual National Low Income Energy Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 6, 2007. The Journal is providing the executive summary of their report

Summary: Energy Outreach Colorado is one of many organizations that help limited income people pay their home energy bills, but it’s one of only a handful that help nonprofit human service facilities afford theirs. Nonprofits, like many of the low-income households they serve, can be adversely impacted by rising energy costs. As a result, they may face the difficult decision of whether to cut services or to charge a fee for services in order to offset their skyrocketing energy bills. This case study examines an collaborative program in which EOC helps nonprofits pay their energy bills.