What can be done about your expensive Pepco bill?
Financial assistance, energy audits, and avoiding third-party suppliers can help.
We’re reporting on affordability and want to hear from you.
In recent weeks, many of you reached out about your skyrocketing Pepco bills. In response, 51st contributor Sam Delgado dug into why District residents are paying so much for electricity right now, and what residents can do about it (tips and solutions coming your way in tomorrow's newsletter, stay tuned).
This article kicks off our new series on affordability in D.C., where we’ll zoom in on your most burdensome bills and examine how they impact your daily life and long-term stability. We'll also try to get at why life in D.C. is so expensive and what can actually be done about it, from helpful tips to policy solutions. As always, we want your input to shape our coverage, which you can provide by completing this quick form.
As always, our reporting is only possible with reader support. We have just a couple of weeks left in our campaign to triple our reporting capacity so we can bring you even more accountability articles, explainers, and stories that make us proud to call D.C. home. And today, we’re launching a new way to support: business sponsorships … more on that below.
Now, let’s get to those high Pepco bills.
—Christina

The cold weather is only part of the story.
Your voice is vital for shaping our coverage at The 51st, so we want to hear from you: What bill are stressing you out the most?
We've heard from a few readers wondering if their workplace could buy a subscription for all employees (how fun!), or if their business could become a sponsor (how cool!), and we're finally able to say: YES!
It's no surprise that funding for local news has shifted drastically in the last decade, and we're committed to finding creative and values-aligned ways to grow and sustain our newsroom, by D.C. for D.C. As always, let us know what you think!
People-powered local news is more important than ever, which is why we're working hard to expand our newsroom. Thanks to you, we're over halfway to our goal. We so appreciate you pitching in, and please keep spreading the word!

More tomorrow,
Christina
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