Intent to impact: United States case studies on equity measurement in energy efficiency programming

ENERGY JUSTICE TENET	DEFINITION	EXAMPLE METRICS
Recognition	Identify historical structural and systemic disparities beyond a household’s immediate control that contribute to different types of vulnerability among priority communities.	Proportionate disparities in historic program spending and savings Power outage frequency and disparities
Procedural	Reveal decision-makers and ensure those impacted by decisions are heard throughout design, implementation, and evaluation of energy programs and policies, with the necessary accountability mechanisms in place.	Mandatory equity training for regulatory/utility staff Multi-lingual advertisements, program materials, enrollment, and participation
Distributive	Ensure that the investments, benefits and risks associated with energy efficiency are justly and fairly distributed, recognizing that priority communities often receive fewer benefits and more harms.	Proportion of high impact programs engaging and received by priority households Percent of new jobs held by priority communities
Restorative	Repair injustices arising from energy decision-making by ensuring that all potential harms and injustices that may arise are addressed, and prevention, mitigation, and restoration plans are implemented.	Qualitative monitoring through questions such as “how do we ensure data transparency?” and “how can we ensure a habitable planet for future generations?

Table 2

Typology of Implemented Metrics Framework following a Logic Model Process (Washington State Department of Commerce n.d.).

METRIC TYPE	OBJECT OF MEASUREMENT
Impact or Goal	Overall impact to community intended to be measured.
Specific Actions	Actions to be taken towards meeting goals.
Input	Resources to be dedicated to or consumed by a program or specific action.
Output	Direct progress of program implementation or specific actions; tangible or intangible products that result from program activities.
Outcome	Data collected to assess the extent to which expected outcomes have been achieved. Outcomes are changes in the community expected to result from a set of specific actions.

Table 3

Cross-case Comparison of Equity Measurement Processes.

PROCESS COMPONENT	ENERGY TRUST OF OREGON	CAPE LIGHT COMPACT	SEATTLE CITY LIGHT	RHODE ISLAND ENERGY
Priority Communities Tracked by Metrics	State-defined environmental justice communities (EJCs), based on income, health inequities, tribal status, rural and coastal status, limited infrastructure, and communities underrepresented and adversely harmed by environmental and health hazards (Office of Oregon Governor n.d.)	Income-eligible; small businesses; renters; low-English proficient; “Designated equity communities” (low-income and renter census tracts)	“Highly impacted communities (HICs)” and “vulnerable populations (VPs),” based on income, disability/health risk, limited English proficiency, and BIPOC self-attestation	State-defined EJCs, based on income, minority status, or percent of households that lack “English language proficiency” (RI DEM n.d.)
Outreach and Engagement	Surveys, workshops, and focus groups with low-income, rural communities; stakeholder engagement with community organizations, program implementors, utilities, renters, small businesses	Massachusetts-based equity working group of voting equity advisory councilors, utilities, local community action agencies, and environmental justice organizations	Presentations from staff in community spaces, representative commissions; tabling at community events with translation support	Rhode Island-based equity working group of community organizations, nonprofits, small businesses, resident advocacy groups, municipal and state entities, and other industry experts
Internal Capacity-Building Activities	Equity gap analysis; internal restructuring of equity advisory group and creation of cross-functional working groups to centralize reporting	N/A	Utilization of an equity analysis toolkit for evaluating equity progress throughout City of Seattle	Educational meetings with internal program managers; “Energy Fellow” internship focusing on data visualization techniques to inform teams of data trends and support program planning
Overall Metrics Theme(s)	Community partner support; outreach to priority communities; enhanced workforce development; increased access to energy efficiency upgrades and renewable projects	Community partner support; outreach to priority communities; enhanced workforce development; expanded language access; increased access to energy efficiency upgrades	Community partner support; outreach to priority communities; enhanced workforce development; expanded language access; increased access to bill assistance, energy efficiency upgrades, and renewable projects; improved community health	Increased access to energy efficiency upgrades

Table 4

Equity Themes and Adopted Performance Measures (OPUC 2022).

THEME	OPUC EQUITY METRIC (ADOPTED IN DECEMBER 2022)
Access to support for communities	Increased support (e.g., incentives, training, funding for energy efficient upgrades) to nonprofit organizations with a purpose to serve EJCs.
Access to information	Increased funding—for community ambassadors, education, and workshops—to support targeted outreach to EJCs.
Energy burden reduction	New or expanded low-cost (≤$500 co-pay) and no-cost offers created and launched.
Community reliability and resilience	Solar and solar-with-storage system projects supported for low- and moderate-income (LMI) residents in areas with limited infrastructure or high energy burden.

Table 5

CLC’s Equity Strategies and Adopted Metrics (Mass Save 2024).

EQUITY STRATEGY	ADOPTED METRICS
Increased investment in priority communities	Incentive dollars for LMI customers, renters, small businesses Funding for community outreach, language access, workforce development, and program support for low-income and small business energy users
Enhanced program access for priority communities	Weatherization (e.g., air sealing and insulation) and heat pump installations and incentives, by income, single-family/multifamily, and renter status; for heat pumps, fuel displacements statewide and within DECs Conversion rate on weatherization recommendations and time-to-serve for home energy assessments Number of homes receiving weatherization recommendations with barriers, number of barrier mitigation jobs and incentives by income and renter status, statewide and in DECs Number of smart thermostats in low-income participant households
Enhanced community partner programming	Communities served by a community partner and partners receiving award from Community First Partnership program
Equitable workforce development and increased supplier diversity	Number of and percent of diverse suppliers directly informed of requests for proposal (RFPs) and who responded to RFPs
Operationalized language access and improved customer experience	Number of customers indicating non-English preference at intake; of those, number receiving in-language home energy assessments and weatherization (for top five spoken languages in the state)

Table 6

Seattle City Light’s Adopted Goals and Metrics (Seattle City Light 2026).

GOALS	SPECIFIC ACTIONS	INPUT METRICS	OUTPUT METRICS	INTENDED OUTCOMES
Reduce Household Electric Energy Burden	Design/deliver an accessible community solar program	Project investment Number of outreach events in HICs/VPs Application for state funding	Number of mWs solar in HIC/VPs Income-eligible event attendance Percent bill discount for income-eligible participants	Decrease energy burden among income-eligible community solar participants
	Increase participation in discount rate program	Number of outreach events in HICs Number of languages application is offered in Number of community sign-up events	≥35% eligible customers enrolled Average annual customer bill savings attributed to program	Decrease energy burden among discount rate participants
	Evaluate best case practices for fair rate development and cost attribution	Contracting funds to conduct study Number of interviews with utilities/institutions	Final report with best practice cost attribution methodology	Provide actionable strategies to apply fair rate development in future rate-setting processes
Improve Community Health	Deliver transportation electrification investments that target HICs/VPs	Number of community partners Number of outreach events in HICs/VPs	Transportation electrification investment in HICs/VPs Number of chargers in HICs	Reduce MTCO₂e in service area
Increase Program Participation from HICs/VPs	Increase number of utility assistance community partnerships	Number of community organizations contacted about programs Partner contract funds	Number of organizations with contracts Number of customers enrolled via partners	Partner with five new organizations to increase awareness and enrollment in utility assistance offerings
	Develop and implement bi-annual Language Access Plan, a toolkit for expanding language access in departmental operations	Number of persons with limited English proficiency Funds for translation/interpretation Develop and socialize Language Access Plan	Volume of materials translated Number of in-language customer interactions Number of community events with interpreters	Reduce barriers to participation for low-English proficient customers
	Recruit multifamily buildings, businesses, organizations to participate in programs	Number of community partners Number of outreach events in HICs/VPs	Outreach materials developed Number of languages materials are translated into Number of enrolled participants	At least 200 buildings participate in energy efficiency programming
	Create a whole home energy program, directly supporting HICs/VPs and facilitating pathways to state and federal energy efficiency resources	Number of outreach events in HICs/VPs Number of community partners engaged Number of recruitment tools developed	Number of adopters in HICs/VPs Reach of recruitment tools	Increase customer touchpoints with energy efficiency programs in HICs and VPs
Improve Access to Green Jobs	Establish a green job pathway through a high school awareness campaign	Number of high school contacts Volume of outreach materials created	Number of high school events attended/hosted Number of high school partnerships	Complete at least three high school green jobs events annually
	Design/implement an internship program targeting youth in low-income households	Number of outreach efforts in HICs Number of applications received	Number of internship placements Percent of applicants who identify as persons of color	At least five high school low-income program participants per year
	Engage women- and minority-owned contractors (WMBE) for EV charging certification program	Number of outreach events Number of WMBE applicants	Number of WMBE contractors enrolled	Certify 20 WMBE contractors supporting equitable access to clean energy infrastructure opportunities

Table 7

RIE’s Adopted Equity Metrics (RIE 2025).

EQUITY CATEGORY	METRICS
Participation Barriers	Number of home energy audits and weatherization projects completed for single-family programs By EJCs vs. non-EJCs By renters vs. non-renters
Multifamily Barriers	Number of home energy audits and weatherization projects completed for multifamily programs By EJCs vs. non-EJCs
Pre-Weatherization Barriers	Number of audits with pre-weatherization barriers detected By pre-weatherization barrier type By Community Action Program service territory
Microbusiness and Small Business	Number of eligible customers participating in the Small Business Direct Install program By EJCs vs. non-EJCs By energy consumption category

Articles in this issue

DOI: https://doi.org/10.66506/essp.9-089-26 | Journal eISSN: 2001-7960

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Language: English

Page range: 55 - 55

Submitted on: Mar 17, 2026

Accepted on: Sep 4, 2026

Published on: Sep 17, 2026

Published by: European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (eceee)

In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services

Keywords:

utility,

© 2026 Emily Hogan, Amanda Pham Haines, Alicia Davis, Alex Novie, Brendan Dagher, Briana Kane, Laura Osburn, Grecia Elenes, Kira Ashby, Laney Sullivan, Atticus Makuch, Carinel LeGrand, published by European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (eceee)
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Volume 1 (2026): Issue 1