DeAndrea Salvador: How we can make energy more affordable for low-income families
DeAndrea Salvador reshapes the way we use and engage with energy. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
at my great-grandmother's house.
I would dash across the floor
her only air conditioner.
that that simple experience,
having to set up fake energy accounts
but to bypass the meter
comfortable for one more day.
incidents can take root
with impossible choices.
three percent of their income on energy.
and rural populations
of their income on energy.
25 million people to skip meals
than just a number.
and perilous choices:
to get her flu medicine,
between medicine and energy.
and systemic issue.
are disproportionately people of color,
than their white counterparts.
and even schoolteachers
of 37 million people a year
for their most basic needs.
high energy burdens
like heart disease and asthma.
and our pocket-sized AI,
these systemic inequities.
microgrids and smart home technology
earn much more than the average American.
I founded the nonprofit RETI.
by working with communities,
to clean energy,
of local communities,
of relationships.
with the communities
and events for communities
updates to their homes
and water heaters
to community solar
smart home research
their energy bills.
with elected officials,
of energy equity and resilience succeed,
over three billion a year
millions of people,
a fraction of those in need.
home-energy affordability gap,
and resilience into our communities,
reliable and affordable.
clean technology and energy efficiency
20 percent of their income --
who's struggling to make ends meet.
for families to use their energy savings
and her neighbors,
that they had to make
on our whole community.
to make the same impossible choices today.
are a tremendous barrier to overcome,
with communities and technology,
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
DeAndrea Salvador - Environmental justice advocateDeAndrea Salvador reshapes the way we use and engage with energy.
Why you should listen
DeAndrea Newman Salvador is an energy expert with a background in economics, an entrepreneur and a founder of two groundbreaking organizations, Renewable Energy Transition Initiative (RETI) and JouleScout. She works to create seamless integration of low-income families into a world of energy abundance.
Witnessing neighbors in her home state of North Carolina struggle to keep up with energy expenses, Salvador took action in 2013 and founded RETI, a nonprofit focused on helping low-income families sustainably reduce energy costs and gain access to cutting-edge technology. Through RETI, Salvador is partnering with Duke Energy (one of the nation's largest utilities) to launch a low- to moderate-income shared solar program in South Carolina. RETI also worked with the City of Charlotte to create a Smart Home Kick Start for the city's residents.
Furthering her mission to create energy equity in the new energy economy, Salvador founded JouleScout in 2018. JouleScout is a social enterprise focused on helping energy providers incentivize customers to use less energy at key times without sacrificing comfort, thereby ensuring grid reliability, fewer blackouts and more renewables on the grid with a cost savings to customers.
As a social entrepreneur and advocate, Salvador has been featured by The Atlantic, Fast Company, the BBC, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Utility Drive and the Charlotte Observer. Her own articles are published in Pacific Standard Magazine, GOOD, The Development Set, BRIGHT Magazine and on TheWeek.com.
Salvador is a TED2018 Fellow, a recipient of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte Young Alumna of the Year Award and was recognized as one of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Black Chamber of Commerce's 30 under 30. She is a member of the Mecklenburg County Air Quality Commission and sits on the Board of Directors for Youth Empowered Solutions (YES!).
DeAndrea Salvador | Speaker | TED.com