General Info

You may have noticed that the NLIEC theme is "Building Bridges in the Energy-Assistance Community." That's what we are all about: building bridges of cooperation and understanding between the organizations and individuals who are developing coordinated solutions to low-income energy problems. For millions of low-income Americans, the energy crisis is still a reality, even though the rest of society is not always aware that a problem exists. Households with energy hardships include senior citizens, the disabled, the newly unemployed and those working poor who earn too much to qualify for most public assistance programs yet earn too little to meet their basic energy needs. Founded in 1986, the NLIEC is a 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) non-profit organization that brings together public, private and nonprofit organizations and individuals for a common purpose: reducing the residential energy and utility hardships and crises faced by low-income consumers. The NLIEC may be best known for our conferences, which draw more than 600 participants annually to address these issues, yet we are actually much broader in scope. In 2001, 2003 and 2005, for example, we commissioned studies examining the impact of energy costs and poverty on low-income consumers who find energy bills increasingly difficult to pay. We also conduct workshops, participate in other forums around the country and work with the media to focus attention on the issues.