LMI Energy Equity Evidence Base

The structural failure of low‑income electrification across five states

39 data visualizations documenting the gap between energy transition ambition and low‑income outcomes in Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Wisconsin.

39Visualizations
5States
8Cross‑State
CS

Cross‑State Findings

8 visualizations — patterns across all five states
CS-1 · Pace to Need
At current pace, no state completes LMI electrification this century
CS-2 · Rate Design
The rate schedule — not the rebate — determines whether electrification saves or costs money
CS-3 · Spending Architecture
Every state spends more subsidizing bills than reducing them — the ratio reveals the structural choice
CS-4 · Enrollment
Program generosity does not drive enrollment. Outreach infrastructure does.
CS-5 · Assistance Models
Five states, three assistance models, and one unresolved question: what level of protection makes electrification possible?
CS-6 · Consumer Protection
Michigan documented that 20% of low-income heat pump participants saw bill increases — and no state adopted safeguards
CS-7 · DER Integration
Across five states, fewer than 2,300 LMI households participate in any DER program — and the $590M that would have scaled it is frozen
CS-8 · Auto-Enrollment
Auto-enrollment quadrupled participation where implemented — but only two utilities across five states have tried it
MA

Massachusetts

6 visualizations — Mass Save equity, gas transition, renter gap
MA-06 · Program Equity
EJ communities pay the most into Mass Save, receive the least
MA-08 · Gas Transition
The gas transition accelerates — stranded costs follow
MA-11 · Renter Gap
Renters are systematically excluded from electrification benefits
MA-14 · EEAC Timeline
A decade of warnings ignored: how Mass Save's equity gap was built
MA-15 · Renter Investment
Mass Save allocates 21% of incentives to renters who are 38% of households
MA-16 · LI Paradox
LMI households get the least electrification despite needing it most
MI

Michigan

7 visualizations — electrification readiness, EWR, stakeholder sentiment
MI-1 · Readiness Funnel
The electrification readiness funnel: where Michigan's population actually sits
MI-2 · Barriers
Financial barriers dominate — but residential and C&I care about different secondary factors
MI-3 · EWR Effectiveness
Michigan's EWR spending scales up while cost per unit of savings falls
MI-4 · Bills vs. Inflation
Every Michigan utility but one kept residential bill increases below inflation since 2020
MI-5 · MEAP Expansion
Michigan is scaling energy assistance infrastructure while electrification remains voluntary
MI-6 · Cost Shifting
Michigan applies rigorous subsidy analysis to data centers — but not to residential electrification
MI-7 · Stakeholder Sentiment
Michigan made electrification politically invisible by embedding it inside energy efficiency
PA

Pennsylvania

6 visualizations — CAP enrollment, weatherization, cost allocation
PA-1 · Enrollment Gap
574,000 confirmed low-income Pennsylvanians eligible for assistance are not enrolled
PA-2 · Spending Inversion
Pennsylvania spends $7.12 subsidizing low-income bills for every $1 spent reducing them
PA-3 · Water Benefits Mask
59% of low-income program benefits come from water savings — not electricity
PA-4 · Termination Paradox
96,913 confirmed low-income electric customers were disconnected in a single year
PA-5 · Weatherization Wall
You can't install a heat pump in a house with a bad roof — and 40% of deferred homes are never repaired
PA-6 · Cost Allocation
Pennsylvania runs low-income energy policy through three separate tracks that don't talk to each other
VT

Vermont

6 visualizations — discount gap, disconnections, throughput
VT-1 · Discount Gap
Vermont offers the lowest low-income electric discount in its region — while mandating electrification
VT-2 · Disconnections
Vermont utilities sent disconnection notices to 12–16% of households in a single month
VT-3 · Enrollment Paradox
GMP made its assistance program more generous. Enrollment fell 26%.
VT-4 · Depth vs. Breadth
Efficiency Vermont reached 22% more people in 2024 — and delivered 21% less savings
VT-5 · LI Throughput
Vermont allocated low-income funding — but can't convert it to completed projects
VT-6 · Policy vs. Safety Net
Vermont mandates electrification through three major laws — while its assistance infrastructure serves a fraction of those who need it
WI

Wisconsin

6 visualizations — rate design, rebate economics, emissions
WI-01 · Cost Gap
Heat pump economics depend entirely on which rate schedule applies — and the right one doesn't exist yet
WI-02 · Policy Sequencing
Wisconsin launched heat pump rebates faster than any state — then stopped short of rate reform
WI-03 · Rate Architecture
Wisconsin built rate design tools for EVs and summer cooling — but left winter heating and LMI completely blank
WI-04 · Cross-Subsidy
Both are cross-subsidies. One has 9.4/10 approval. The other has near-unanimous opposition.
WI-05 · Rebate Trap
A $14,000 rebate makes year zero look great. At flat rates, the advantage is gone by year 4–8.
WI-06 · Building Emissions
Wisconsin cut electricity emissions 28% since 2005. Residential buildings: 4%.
Sources span state regulatory filings, PUC docket proceedings, Census ACS data, utility program reports, and federal program data. Each visualization includes full source citations.