Power, Heat, and Well-Being: Energy Access as a Social Determinant of Health

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

This panel includes four papers that collectively examine energy insecurity as a critical and underexplored Social Determinant of Health (SDH), operating across household, community, and policy levels. The first paper investigates the relationship between energy insecurity and self-reported children’s wellbeing, including their mental, physical, and behavioral health, using a nationally representative sample of American households with children. The paper finds a strong relationship between diminished child wellbeing and energy insecurity, with particularly strong effects in households that regularly keep the home at unsafe temperatures.

The second paper evaluates the role of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in mitigating mortality risks during extreme temperature events. Using data from counties in Indiana, the analysis reveals that, because LIHEAP funding is typically exhausted earlier in the year, gaps in coverage during summer months leave many vulnerable households without cooling assistance, leading to significantly higher mortality rates in counties receiving less LIHEAP funding.

The third paper estimates the household-level health impacts due to switching from gas stoves to electric stoves. Gas stoves produce nitrogen oxides, which can aggravate symptoms in individuals with asthma and other respiratory conditions. Enrolling households with at least one member with asthma in a program to replace their gas stove with an electric one, the analysis finds a significant reduction in emergency room visits and days of missed work or school from asthma symptoms, likely driven by measured reductions in indoor NO2 levels.

The final paper uses screening data from the MetroHealth system in Cleveland, Ohio to analyze the association between energy insecurity and healthcare utilization. Drawing on data from over 14,000 patients, the findings reveal an association between energy hardship and increased emergency department and mental health-related ambulatory visits.

Together, these studies illustrate the multifaceted pathways through which energy systems influence health outcomes, including environmental exposure, economic strain, and institutional and policy dynamics that shape vulnerability. Results make clear that energy insecurity is not merely a material hardship but a systematic driver of health inequalities. By integrating evidence across populations, contexts, and methodological approaches, the panel highlights the need to address gaps in energy access and policy design to advance energy equity and improve public health outcomes.

Policy Area

• Natural Resource, Energy, and Environmental Policy

Chair

• Gilbert Michaud, Loyola University Chicago

Discussants

• Wesley Mlsna Zebrowski, Loyola University Chicago

• Dennis Vera, Indiana University

Organizer

• Trevor Memmott, University of Massachusetts at Boston

Individual Presentations

• Household Energy Insecurity and Child Health Outcomes in the United States - Presenting Author: Trevor Memmott, University of Massachusetts at Boston

• Energy Assistance as Extreme Temperature Adaptation: Health Effects of LIHEAP Heating and Cooling Policy Variation - Presenting Author: Saiwen Zhang, Indiana University

• Health Impacts of Energy Transition: Asthma Control Before and After Changing Gas Stoves to Electric Stoves - Presenting Author: Ther Wint Aung, Case Western Reserve University

• Assessing the Health Impacts of Utility Disconnection Threats: Patient-Level Evidence from Cuyahoga County, OH - Presenting Author: Michelle Graff, Georgia Institute of Technology