People who rent and have low incomes often struggle to pay their energy bills. Often, this is because their homes are not energy efficient. Finding ways to ensure low-income rental housing is energy efficient is critical, particularly when landlords don’t pay utility bills. Moreover, it is an issue that affects our climate and impedes efforts toward racial and economic equity, as well as health and environmental justice.

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TEA was started as a participatory action research project by the Yale School of Medicine’s Program for Recovery and Community Health, funded by the Yale Planetary Solutions project. The goal of the Tenant Energy Advocacy (TEA) Project is to better understand low-income tenants' experiences with energy expenses, energy efficiency, and the potential for collective action around energy issues. TEA works closely with tenants including a Community Advisory Board (CAB) to meet our goals.