Press Release | New Tool Spotlights Hidden Energy Struggles Across Texas

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
August 6, 2025       

Media Contact:
Carsyn Collins, 713-614-1310
ccollins@themach1group.com

TEPRI Releases 2025 Community Voices in Energy Survey and New Energy Vulnerability Index 

Austin, TX — The Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute (TEPRI) released its 2025 Community Voices in Energy Survey (Community Voices), which captures data from nearly 7,000 households across the state and presents a sobering picture of energy insecurity among low- to moderate-income communities. The information from the survey was used to create a powerful new tool from TEPRI called the Energy Vulnerability Index – a first-of-its-kind metric that sheds light on the invisible hardships Texans face to afford electricity.

While conversations about energy in Texas often focus on cost and infrastructure, TEPRI’s findings illustrate the human cost of energy insecurity: choosing between paying for electricity or medications, keeping homes at unsafe temperatures and sacrificing basic household needs just to keep the lights on. In fact, 72% of low- to moderate-income Texans surveyed said they had to delay healthcare or cut back on general household spending to pay their electric bills.

“The numbers tell the story, but the lives behind them reveal the urgency,” said Margo Weisz, Executive Director of TEPRI. “Reliable and affordable energy is a basic need, and our research shows that far too many Texans are forced to make devastating choices to simply pay their electric bill.”

TEPRI’s Energy Vulnerability Index is available through an interactive dashboard, allowing users to explore these energy burdens by region, county and ZIP code, and filter by household characteristics such as income level, housing type and employment status.

The Community Voices survey also identifies barriers to accessing bill assistance programs and methods that low-income households use to limit their energy use. According to the survey:

  • 29% of households said they cut back on food, clothing or medicine to pay utility bills.
  • 26% reported keeping their homes at unsafe temperatures to save on energy costs – well above the national average of 18%.
  • In the Gulf Coast region, nearly 80% of low- to moderate-income households scaled back on basic needs to cover electric bills.

TEPRI’s work underscores the need for equity-centered policies that make energy both affordable and reliable for every Texan, particularly those most vulnerable. The Community Voices survey and the Energy Vulnerability Index were designed not only as research tools but as actionable guides for utilities, policymakers and community leaders working to improve energy equity. 

“If we want to build a more resilient Texas, we must first listen to the people who are hardest hit,” Weisz added. “And TEPRI’s tools help us to do just that – make their voices heard and their realities visible.”

The full Community Voices report, regional breakdowns and interactive Energy Vulnerability Index dashboard are available now at www.tepri.org/CVES2025.

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Founded in 2015, the Texas Energy Poverty Research Institute (TEPRI), a 501(c)3 organization, is a non-partisan and nonprofit independent research organization that advances lasting energy solutions for low-income communities across Texas.