Today, the ability of residential and business customers to pay their bills is influenced by various factors including:
- Financial hardship: Many people are facing financial difficulties due to factors such as job loss, reduced work hours, or unexpected expenses. This can make it difficult for them to pay their utility bills on time.
- Rising and high utility rates: In some areas, utility rates may be higher than what people can afford. This can make it difficult for them to pay their bills, especially if they are already struggling financially.
- Energy inefficiency: Homes and buildings that are not energy-efficient can result in high utility bills. This can be especially challenging for low-income households, which may not have the resources to make energy-efficient upgrades to their homes.
- Lack of financial assistance: While some utility companies offer financial assistance programs to help low-income households pay their bills, not all customers may be aware of these programs or may not qualify for them.
- Disconnection policies: Some utility companies have policies that allow them to disconnect customers who are behind on their bills. This can put additional financial pressure on customers, who may have to pay reconnection fees or find alternative sources of energy or water.
Overall, the reasons why people may be having a hard time paying their utility bills are complex and multifaceted.
During the Design Thinking workshop, the U2030-Think-a-Thon, participants will ideate solutions that may include a combination of financial assistance programs, energy efficiency upgrades, policy changes to ensure that everyone has access to affordable and reliable utilities, and more.
Solutions will be narrowed to “the feasible few” and evaluated during a silent voting segment to determine the most viable and impactful. Several of the utility participants in attendance will prototype and test these solutions when they return to work and report their findings back to the Utility 2030 Collaborative (U2030), results will be reported back to all participants, and the winning solution will be featured in an upcoming PowerSession co-produced by Energy Central and the Utility 2030 Collaborative.