HUD Housing Programs: Tenants’ Rights (The Green Book): 5.6.2 Establishing Voucher Utility Allowances
The PHA must base initial utility allowances on the “normal patterns of consumption for the community as a whole and current utility rates.”186 The PHA must consider the “typical cost of utilities and services paid by energy-conservative households that occupy housing of similar size and type in the same locality.”187 It must take into account the unit size, structure (high-rise, row house, detached unit, etc.) and fuel type.188 The utility a