By John Kennedy, Executive Director, Community Action Council
Back in July, as temperatures soared across Ohio and the rest of the country, I came across an article that shook me to my core.
The Guardian reported that the U.S. Department of Energy had deleted more than 1,600 webpages related to energy efficiency. Specifically, DOE removed 774 pages covering lighting and another 772 related to heating and cooling. Content related to weatherization, energy-efficient appliances and electronics — nearly 1,200 pages — was also removed, along with more than 900 pages related to home energy audits and water heating.
Why would the Trump administration remove information that could help Americans reduce their energy consumption and lower their monthly energy bills?
The answer is simple — and infuriating. Content viewed as “woke” or “green” — including information that educates people about energy efficiency and the very real cost savings it can deliver — is being hidden. Erased. Deleted.
And the Trump administration’s Department of Energy didn’t stop there.
The administration has proposed dozens of regulatory rollbacks that would eliminate or weaken energy-efficiency standards for air conditioners, furnaces and other appliances. The proposals have not yet all been implemented, thankfully. But the direction is clear: Americans could end up purchasing appliances that cost a little less upfront but are far more expensive to operate over time.
And here’s the underlying problem for the administration: These programs work.
Here in Portage County, the Community Action Council has provided weatherization services to hundreds of residents over the past several years. Those services can include energy audits, insulation, air sealing, and the installation or replacement of energy-efficient furnaces, water heaters, lighting and other equipment.
And the savings can be significant. On average, weatherization can save participating households hundreds of dollars a year — sometimes considerably more. With the rising cost of energy, and the rising cost of just about everything else, every dollar matters.
Energy bills are rising so fast that some people might be tempted to leave the bill sitting on the dining room table for a few extra days, hoping it will disappear. Pro tip: It doesn’t work.
But I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. We are all paying more for energy than we did just a few years ago.
A recent state audit of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio found that household energy costs have risen dramatically since 2022. And since January 2025, Ohioans have seen particularly sharp increases in electricity prices.
Consider this: In January 2022, Ohio’s average residential electricity price was about 13.06 cents per kilowatt-hour. By July of this year, it had risen to roughly 19.4 cents.
For a household using 1,000 kilowatt-hours a month, that difference amounts to about $63 more every month — roughly $760 more per year — assuming electricity usage stays exactly the same.
But our usage doesn’t stay the same. Here in Northeast Ohio, our energy consumption is heavily influenced by the weather. I don’t need to remind anyone how brutally hot this past summer was, or how much we shivered through January and February. The hotter it gets in the summer and the colder it gets in the winter, the more energy we use — and the higher those bills climb.
Which brings us back to something we already know: Making our homes more energy-efficient works.
Yes, energy efficiency has environmental benefits. But you don’t have to care about climate change to understand the value of a lower utility bill. For a family trying to make ends meet, energy efficiency is a household-budget issue.
When a family spends less to heat, cool and power its home, more money is available for groceries, rent, medicine, transportation and other necessities.
Weatherization services can reduce a household’s energy consumption and lower annual energy costs significantly. And even the U.S. Department of Energy — yes, the same federal agency that deleted hundreds of pages of energy-efficiency information — has documented Ohio households where weatherization produced dramatic projected savings.
In one example, a household’s monthly energy costs were projected to fall from approximately $341 to $130.
Think about that for a minute. That’s a savings of $211 a month — or more than $2,500 a year. That’s not some abstract environmental benefit. That’s real money. That’s more “green” in your wallet.
Recently, I sat and listened to a group of weatherization professionals from across Ohio talk about the impact of their work.
One story sounded very familiar to the stories I’ve heard from my own weatherization team here in Portage County.
An older resident had literally closed off rooms in her home to save money. She was trying to heat less space because she couldn’t afford the energy bills. The weatherization team conducted an energy audit and completed the necessary improvements.
When they returned for the final inspection, the woman thanked them, tears falling from her eyes. “I have my house back,” she said.
I can’t think of a better description of what these programs do. They don’t simply make houses more energy-efficient. They give people back a part of their lives.
These weatherization and energy-efficiency programs work. And we need them now more than ever.
Our Home Weatherization Assistance Program (HWAP) is available year-round, and our Winter Crisis Program, which helps eligible low-income households manage heating and energy emergencies, begins November 1. If you have questions, need more information or want to find out whether you qualify, please contact the Community Action Council of Portage County at 330-297-1456.
Costs are rising. Household budgets are tightening. And for families already choosing between keeping the heat on and buying groceries, even a few dollars can make a difference.
So let’s not hide the information that can help people save money. Let’s not eliminate programs that put money back into the pockets of Ohio families. Let’s invest in making our homes more efficient, our energy bills more affordable and our communities more resilient.
Because winter is coming.