Table 3.

Behavioral Energy Insecurity- Definition, related codes and exemplary quotes.

Dimension	Related codes	Exemplary quotes
Behavioral energy insecurity  Definition:  Behavioral strategies used to cope, improvise and counteract  the impacts of economic and structural energy insecurity.	Energy conservation	I use my gas wisely, you know. Only time it’s on is to cook real quick or hot water for showers … Right before its time for them to take showers I turn the heat on, and then when they get ready for bed, sometimes I’ll turn it down or turn it off’cause they’re underneath the blankets. You just gotta manage how you do it … If you don’t need it you shut it off.” I don‘t’ use heat all that much and we manage because the gas is budgeted … We have been watching what we keep the thermostat at. During the day we keep off lights. The only thing that’s running is the TV … We also don’t burn that much gas. We don’t use that much electricity ‘cause I know the electricity be sky-high if you leave the lights on and stuff.
	Seeking thermal comfort	In the wintertime if something happens to the heat by chance, I turn the oven on, which is my electricity. The heat goes through the place like that and then I cut it off. That’s what I do. Some people also came in here and showed me how to save electric … I pretty much did it myself—the insulation. I put the stuff under the doors and plastic over the windows [to keep the cold out].
	Lump sum and partial bill payments	I’m praying that I get enough money back from my tax return to pay everyone off so they can leave me alone, don’t bother me no more. So the whole week [during a shut off], all we did was took a bucket like we were having a cookout. You know those buckets that you use to put sodas and stuff. Put some ice in it, it lasted for a week. Eating sandwiches, takeout. My kids said, ‘Mommy, when they gonna put the gas back so we cook the fish?’ I finally got two checks and turned the lights back on. You gotta sacrifice. My mother’s pays like 50 dollars here, 100 dollars there, whatever she can. But even if I give them $100 right now, I can’t pay because even if I give them $80 the bill is $100, $120 every month. That’s why I give them $80 ‘cause I can’t pay the whole bill.
	Fuel assistance	I can go to certain places if I need help to get fuel assistance After running around trying to get help there but they helped me out finally. I did that … fuel assistance helped me. I just started with them last year … they gave me $350 for the bill. Then I got a letter from them a couple of weeks ago to fill out and send back [to renew]. I could never get no help for my high gas bills. I would call the local foundations, the Salvation Army, churches and they would always say that they had no money.
	Leveraging medical vulnerability	They can’t turn it off, basically, because my baby has asthma, for one thing. My mother has a bad heart, for another thing. I don’t care how high it gets. They can keep on sending us [bills]; we’ll pay what we can … I had my son’s doctor fax a letter to [the utility company] saying they can’t turn off my lights because he’s on an asthma machine and he needs it. So that’s the only reason my lights stayed on. I have called the electric company. We’re protected from our lights getting shut off for now from financial difficulties and because of [my son’s] asthma.
	Faith, hope and despair	That’s [a shut off] what was worrying me before, but I’m trusting in God. My outlook on it is that, I want better for my children. To have better for my children I need better housing. Inside these neighborhoods ain’t no way for us to save no money on no electricity ‘cause they come out when they want to come out and it’s hard to find people to talk to [for good information]. There’s nothing you can do …