Aging In Place (AIP) Principles - Access To Reliable Electricity
Access to reliable electricity is a crucial and often overlooked component of aging in place because of its impact on so many of our basic household functions.
Access to electricity fosters life and growth.
Access To Electricity is a crucial priority for energy independence and successful aging in place. It enables individuals to have access to most common household functions including, but not limited to, HVAC, lighting, cooking, assistive technologies, security, etc. Beyond the utility of electricity, having reliable sources of energy, and other essentials such as clean water, clean air, shelter, and, increasingly, internet, are basic human needs. Ensuring access to “affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all” is the seventh of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals alongside others such as access to clean water and sanitation, sustainable cities and communities, and responsible consumption and production. Enabling a home’s and a community’s reliable access to electricity greatly increases a home’s relevance in the long-term.
“Along with making daily tasks near impossible – such as refrigerating food or working or studying after dark – a lack of energy in the form of electricity fundamentally restricts the development of many countries. Access to electricity reduces poverty, increases opportunity, and improves health, productivity and living standards. It powers devices that make daily living more efficient, freeing-up the populations time to grow the economy in other more creative ways.”
Mike Hughes, Sustainability Contributor for Forbes
Precedent Project
Dvele’s Prefabricated Homes With Built-In Energy Production Capabilities
“The company said its overarching goal is to bring "energy independence to homeowners" and to provide housing solutions in an era of climate change.”
Citations
United Nations, 2021, The Sustainable Development Goals Report, https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2021/The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-Report-2021.pdf. Accessed 2021.
Hughes, Mike. “Why Access to Energy Should Be a Basic Human Right.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 10 Dec. 2018, https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikehughes1/2018/12/10/why-access-to-energy-should-be-a-basic-human-right/?sh=6d0a770645f2.
Jenna McKnight, 26 March 2020. "Dvele Creates Prefabricated Homes That Generate Their Own Energy.” Dezeen, 26 Mar. 2020, https://www.dezeen.com/2020/03/26/dvele-prefabricated-homes-off-grid/.
Keep an eye out for my next post on Sunday, November 28th at 10 am EST.