View Comments Judith Maina is COO of Neighborhood Preservation, Inc., whose programs use Networking, Policy and Innovation to battle blighted properties in Memphis. Financial planners recommend that you save 30% of your take home income for housing. Well, for some of us, the utilities expense falls in the same percentile that really hurts the bottom line. Typically, energy costs are considered unaffordable if they hit a threshold of above 6% of household income. Research shows that low-income households, especially renters and minority households, face disproportionate energy cost burdens. According to the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, ACEEE, the numbers are as follows: