Community-Based Organizations Working To Advance Energy Efficiency

BusinessEnergyCommunity-Based Organizations Working To Advance Energy EfficiencyByBrynn Cooksey,Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Brynn Cooksey Sr. is an energy efficiency expertFollow AuthorJun 16, 2026, 09:45pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.Community-based organizations are instrumental in advancing energy efficiency.ShutterstockCommunity-based Organizations (CBOs) are not just participants in the energy-efficiency industry. They are often the difference between programs that look good on paper and programs that actually work in practice.Investment in energy efficiency continues to grow across the United States, driven by goals to reduce energy consumption, improve indoor air quality and lower carbon emissions. Yet in the field, outcomes do not always match intent. Adoption stalls, projects underperform, and in many cases, the communities most impacted by high energy burden are the least likely to benefit from available programs. This gap is not always a failure of technology or funding; it is often a failure of alignment. CBOs help to close that gap because they operate at the point where programs meet people.According to Public Input, these organizations are typically rooted in the communities they serve, with leadership that reflects the populations most affected by high utility costs, aging housing stock and poor indoor environmental conditions. They do not have to interpret the problem from a distance because they experience it firsthand. In many homes we evaluate, energy burden—defined by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) as “a group of individuals who spend a greater portion of their income on energy bills than the average household”—is not an abstract concept. It shows up in real decisions: homeowners running systems less than needed to manage costs, delaying necessary upgrades, or living wit...