How the Healthy Homes Fair Empowered One DC Student and His Family

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Hi, my name is Sam, I am a DC resident who lives in the Brightwood neighborhood after moving from Columbia Heights. I have lived here with my family for the last 10 years and I have loved living in my current apartment for all these years.

Why I got involved

I’m a senior finishing off my high school career and per my school requirements I have to do a minimum of 100 hours of community service. My school provides plenty of resources for this and through my counselor I was able to find out about the Healthy Homes Fair happening at Catholic University. I signed up as I saw that the motive behind the expo was to teach people about energy consumption and how there are different ways to use and power things that are around us in our daily lives. This was important to me because I have always wondered how I could use eco mode on my energy consumption. I was also interested in volunteering because the location would give me a good insight about life post graduation, something I have been looking forward to ever since I’ve started high school.

My position was a bouncy house attendant, and I took the time to educate the kids about how the bouncy house was powered up and made small talk while they waited in line and ultimately it was a great experience. I am doing all these things because I want to make an impact on my community that I have lived in for almost 20 years, as in August I will be shipped off to Utah for college. I plan to major in Accounting as math and repetitive activities are my go to, and honestly I would love to learn more about financial management and help people with their taxes and their budgets, coming from a family who is very aware about where their money goes and gets spent on, I think I will be in a comfortable position.

The solar powered bouncy castle at the 2026 Healthy Homes Fair

High energy bills come at a cost

Overall, I thought that the Healthy Homes Fair did a great job showing other residents how different habits can have different impacts on energy consumption. This expo was important to me because like many residents who live in the DMV, we saw our light bills skyrocket in price over the winter months. This can be difficult because there are many families who have to make the sacrifice in order to survive and pay off their bills, and I felt identified within that community. For context, in my family, my Dad is the only one who works, and with two jobs, his efforts are immensely appreciated with how he can support a family of 6.

Now imagine the shock and despair that hit us when we saw that our Pepco bill went from the usual $130-$200 a month skyrocket to $650 for ONE month! To sacrifice something to be able to pay it off was an understatement. No words need to be said about the outrage felt, my heart goes out to all the families who have to make sacrifices to make ends meet because they cannot afford living costs. After days of calling Pepco and demanding an explanation, we were able to lower it down to a reasonable $230 for the month of February. The relief on the face of my parents gave me hope, but it also made me realize another part of the problem. My parents were able to speak up with the help of my translation, I was able to step up and make it easier for them to understand the situation and to allow them to have a voice.

There are many families from different backgrounds who don’t have a voice, they might not have anyone who could help, or they could be scared to speak up for themselves, and this is a big problem because these companies will take advantage of that and charge them even more and think they can get away with it. I believe that there should be a change. If you or anyone you know is in a situation where they are being wronged by a utility company, Call the Office of the People’s Council in your area, don’t be afraid to speak your mind.

If you’re experiencing high energy bills, the resources below may be able to help

Guide to help lower your energy bills

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