Tribes in the United States who want insight into their income-driven “energy burden" now have an improved tool to help make informed, data-driven decisions about their energy costs and goals.
The Low-Income Energy Affordability Data (LEAD) Tool has been expanded to include housing and energy data for Tribal Nations, a Nov. 15 press release from the U.S. Department of Energy said. The tool is a free online platform that provides users insight into various energy and housing characteristics within low-and moderate-income geographical regions. The tool also provides energy-usage insights based on income and energy expenditures, as well as fuel and housing types.
“The Office of Indian Energy felt it important to recognize tribal communities and incorporate tribal boundaries into the LEAD Tool,” DOE Senior Engineer and Deployment Supervisor Lizana Pierce said in the release. “We hope resources such as this will provide Tribal Nations the information they need to make data-driven decisions about their energy future.”
DOE Office of Indian Energy Senior Engineer and Deployment Supervisor Lizana Pierce
| energy.gov/
Information provided by the LEAD Tool is especially useful for lower-income households. The percentage of household income spent on energy is three times higher in low-income households compared to the U.S. national average, the release said. This disparity, called the "energy burden," is especially true for many tribes members throughout the nation.
“Through charts, graphs, and data, the tool also allows users to compare information to other geographic regions, such as states, counties, other tribal areas, or the entire United States,” LEAD Tool developer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory Aaron Vimont said in the release.
The LEAD Tool is available online through the Office of Indian Energy resource library or directly on the LEAD Tool web page.
