HUD Wasting $1 Billion a Year on Energy, Says Report

HUD is spending well over $5 billion annually to pay for heat and power for public housing authorities and subsidized rental units, or to assist low-income households who pay those utility bills directly, yet it is failing to take full advantage of existing energy-efficiency programs and “wasting taxpayers’ money,” says Charlie Harak, author of the report, “Up the Chimney: How HUD's Inaction Costs Taxpayers Millions and Drives Up Utility Bills for Low-Income Families.”

Harak, a senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center, says that HUD's most recent energy report to Congress, which tracks the agency's key energy-efficiency programs, demonstrates it is reaching only 1 percent of the country's 2,300 small housing authorities, and only 167 of the 800 largest housing authorities. The report calls upon HUD to re-calculate household utility allowances to reward conservation and investments in energy efficiency, offer simplified energy performance contracts to small housing authorities, and expedite weatherization program participation by owners of subsidized rental units.