The state of Ohio is among the highest per capita carbon emitters in the US. Approximately 60% of emissions are from grid energy used to power buildings. In 2020, investor-owned utility energy efficiency and other related programs in Ohio effectively ceased due to Ohio’s scandalized HB6. Serving the vast majority of Ohio customers and businesses, these programs helped reduce energy consumption across the state, even though multi-family residential buildings remained underserved.

Energy burden (the percentage of income spent on utilities) is one of Ohio’s most pressing racial equity issues, and a major driver of evictions in many cities. Low-income households in Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus experience some of the highest energy burden rates in the country.

According to representatives of multiple Ohio cities, in the design of policies and programs to address energy efficiency and energy equity, cities have very limited and non-specific data to use in analysis and developing solutions. Often data is anonymized or provided at the ZIP Code or census-block level, which does not provide sufficient granularity to meaningfully inform program design and implementation.