RESOURCE LIBRARY
APPRISE Selected Reports
Energy Survey Research and Policy Analysis
The 2005 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) is a national survey that collected energy-related data for occupied housing units and households. The Office of Community Services (OCS) in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) funded a special set of questions for low-income households responding to the 2005 RECS. Those questions collected information on residential and home energy-related problems faced by low-income households and measured the extent to which households reported that participation in LIHEAP helped to ameliorate those problems. APPRISE conducted an exploratory analysis of the 2005 RECS data for OCS to develop a better understanding of the performance of the survey questions and to develop new information on the Energy Insecurity of low-income households, including:
- Levels and Types of Energy Insecurity – Estimation of the rate at which low-income households face various types of energy problems and examination of survey respondent reports on the extent to which energy assistance restores home heating and cooling for households experiencing service interruptions.
- Factors Related to Energy Insecurity – An analysis of the factors associated with energy problems including poverty level, energy burden, geographic region and other demographic and housing factors.
Performance of the Home Energy Insecurity Scale – An assessment of the performance of the Home Energy Insecurity Scale in measuring the impacts of energy costs on low-income households compared to other Energy Insecurity measures used in the past. Download Here.
APPRISE reviewed DOEE’s LIHEAP design and made recommendations for program modifications in 2018. This study assessed DOEE’s LIHEAP procedures, analyzed the population of households eligible for energy assistance, and calculated the impacts of the assistance on participants’ energy burden. The study furnished DOEE with information needed to modify its program benefits design matrix in a way that meets the statutory guidance furnished to DOEE by the federal LIHEAP program.
As a result of the 2018 study, DOEE modified its LIHEAP program benefits design matrix. In 2020, APPRISE worked with DOEE to calculate the impact of those changes on participants’ energy burden, update analyses of households eligible for energy assistance, and assess how best to integrate DOEE’s Solar for All program with the LIHEAP program. Download Here.
Furthermore, Congressional Committees indicated in 1994 that LIHEAP grantees needed to reassess their LIHEAP benefit structures to ensure that they are targeting those low income households that have the highest energy costs or needs. The purpose of this evaluation study was to assess to what extent the LIHEAP program is serving the lowest income households that have the highest energy burdens. The study uses data from the 2001 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) to examine the distribution of income and energy burden for low income households and identify those that have the lowest incomes and highest energy burdens (i.e., high burden households). The study uses the 2001 RECS LIHEAP Supplement to measure the effectiveness of the FY 2001 LIHEAP program in serving high burden households. The study quantifies program effectiveness using targeting performance measures. The study also identifies procedures for updating energy burden targeting performance statistics in the future.
APPRISE prepared this report for the Office of Community Services’ Division of Energy Assistance under contract. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are solely those of analysts from APPRISE and do not necessarily reflect the views of HHS. This report is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, citation of the source is appreciated. The citation should be: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services, Division of Energy Assistance, Washington, D.C., 2005. Download Here.
APPRISE prepared these reports for the Office of Community Services’ Division of Energy Assistance under contract. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are solely those of analysts from APPRISE and do not necessarily reflect the views of HHS. These reports are in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce them in whole or in part is granted. While permission to reprint these publications is not necessary, citation of the source is appreciated. The citation should be: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services, Division of Energy Assistance, Washington, D.C. Download Here: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014.
APPRISE prepared this report for the Office of Community Services’ Division of Energy Assistance under contract. The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are solely those of analysts from APPRISE and do not necessarily reflect the views of HHS. This report is in the public domain. Authorization to reproduce it in whole or in part is granted. While permission to reprint this publication is not necessary, citation of the source is appreciated. The citation should be: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services, Division of Energy Assistance, Washington, D.C., 2004. Download Here.
The purpose of this study was to furnish comprehensive information on low-income energy programs, including analysis of the energy needs of low-income households, the legal and regulatory framework supporting these programs, the design options for these programs, and the evaluation findings on program effectiveness. In this study, we developed national and state-level statistics on the energy needs of low-income households. The national statistics demonstrate the magnitude of the problem facing low-income households and the organizations that serve them. The state-level data, on the other hand, are more relevant to the policymakers who are attempting to address the energy needs of low-income households in their jurisdictions.
The Study focuses on ratepayer-funded low-income energy programs in thirteen states (California, Colorado, Indiana, Maine, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Wisconsin). Based on data available from the LIHEAP Clearinghouse, ratepayer-funded programs represent about 85% of all State and local funding for low-income energy programs. The programs operated in the States included in the Study include over three-fourths of all ratepayer funding for low-income energy programs.
Download Here:
Project Description, Executive Summary, Final Report
State Appendices – CA, CO, IN, MD, ME, MO, NV, NJ, OH, OR, PA, WA, WI.
The National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association (NEADA), representing the state LIHEAP directors, contracted with APPRISE to conduct national surveys of LIHEAP recipients in 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2018. The most recent survey of 2018 LIHEAP recipients updated information about LIHEAP-recipient households that was collected in the previous surveys. These surveys documented changes in the affordability of energy bills, the need for LIHEAP, and the choices that low-income households make when faced with unaffordable energy bills. The 2018 Survey interviewed recipients in eight states. Stratified samples of fiscal year 2018 LIHEAP recipients were selected from each of the eight state LIHEAP databases. The study characterized the LIHEAP population for 2018 and documented the challenges that these households face in addition to their energy bills. Download Here: 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2018.
The National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association (NEADA), representing the state LIHEAP directors, contracted with APPRISE to conduct a follow-up to the national survey of LIHEAP recipients that was conducted in 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2011. As part of the national study, APPRISE oversampled Connecticut and created this report to present findings from a survey of FY 2011 LIHEAP recipients in Connecticut and compares their characteristics and problems affording energy bills to LIHEAP recipients in the Northeast, and to a nationally representative sample of LIHEAP recipients across the United States. Download Here: 2009, 2011.
NYSERDA Low- to Moderate-Income Market Characterization Study - Special Topic Report - Income Status
APPRISE and MaGrann conducted a study of residential thermostat settings and temperature preferences based upon a survey of 239 households in the Northeast about thermostat settings, setbacks, and type of thermostat in the home. The study documented thermostat setpoints and setbacks; the penetration of programmable thermostats and smart thermostats; and use of smart thermostat features.
Based on the research, the study recommended that the greatest setback opportunities for non-elderly households were nighttime in the winter and daytime in the summer. Different protocols are needed for elderly households.
- For households without an elderly member, consider a default winter setting of 69 during the day with a setback of three degrees to 66 at night; and 72 degrees at night in the summer with a setup of 2 degrees to 74 during the day.
- For households with an elderly member, consider a default winter setting of 70 degrees in the winter and 74 degrees in the summer, but without any predetermined setbacks.
We recommend always providing the opportunity for a resident interview in combination with the installation of a new thermostat so that default settings can be modified accordingly. Similarly, providing the opportunity for “live” training empowers residents to modify default settings with an understanding of the energy and comfort implications.
Smart thermostats represent a good opportunity for energy savings based on a number of factors evident from this survey.
- Low existing penetration rate.
- Many households still do not practice thermostat setbacks.
- Of the households practicing setbacks, most are doing so manually.