Tony Reames

Associate Professor*
*On leave as Deputy Director for Energy Justice, Office of Economic Impact & Diversity, U.S. Department of Energy
Urban Energy Justice Lab
School for Environment and Sustainability
University of Michigan Ann Arbor, MI
treames@umich.edu
www.thegreenscholar.com

Fellowship Topic: Exploring Associations between Temperature Exposure, Housing Quality, and Health During the Winter in Energy Poor Households.

Tony G. Reames is an assistant professor in the School for Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He directs the Urban Energy Justice Lab which researches topics at the intersection of energy and equity. He is affiliated with the Center for Sustainable Systems, Energy Institute, Center for Local, State and Urban Policy, and Poverty Solutions initiative at University of Michigan. He is also a member of Scholars Strategy Network and the international Just Transition Initiative.

Tony conducts research in the emerging field of energy justice investigating fair and equitable access to affordable, reliable, and clean energy technology. His research employs energy analysis, geographic information systems (GIS), and policy analysis to understand the production and persistence of spatial, racial, and socioeconomic disparities in urban residential energy dynamics and impacts on health and well-being. Tony is a member of the Heat Waves, Housing and Health (HHH) Steering Committee, a partnership between an interdisciplinary team of academics and leaders of five Detroit-based nonprofits to conduct community-based participatory research (CBPR) around the intersection of heat, housing, and health. He is also a part of the Detroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center (Detroit URC) Community Action Research Network (CAR-Net).

Tony has a PhD in public administration from the University of Kansas, a Masters in engineering management from Kansas State University, and a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University.

FELLOWSHIP PROJECT

Exploring Associations between Temperature Exposure, Housing Quality, and Health During the Winter in Energy Poor Households.

Chronic energy poverty affects millions of US households. One in three US households report suffering some form of energy insecurity such as leaving their homes at an unhealthy temperature or being unable to afford to use or repair broken heating equipment. Environmental health hazards and indoor temperature extremes in cold, drafty homes may contribute to illness or death. The Federal Government spends billions of dollars each year to assist energy poor households with their utility bills, however, we know little about the housing conditions of Low-income Home Energy Assistance Program recipients and the potential dangerous environmental exposures. This study explores the lived experience of 50 energy poor households seeking to understand their indoor temperature exposure during winter, the energy efficiency of their homes, and physical and mental health outcome associated with energy poverty and temperature exposure in southeast Michigan. The study conducts objective measurements of temperature and energy efficiency and perceptions of physical and mental health.