RESOURCE LIBRARY
APPRISE Selected Reports
Low-Income Usage Reduction Program Research and Evaluation
First State CAA is implementing a heating replacement and energy conservation program for the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services. The Repair Replace Heaters and Conserving Energy (RRHACE) program is designed to assess the needs of low-income households and to deliver a customized set of services, including heating equipment assessment and services, Healthy Homes assessment and services, and energy education. The purpose of this memo is to furnish First State Community Action Agency (First State) with findings from in-depth interviews conducted by APPRISE for the Healthy Homes component of the Repair Replace Heaters and Conserving Energy (RRHACE) program. APPRISE staff interviewed recent recipients of Healthy Homes services to ask them about their experience with the program, the potential health and safety hazards that were identified in their homes, and their interactions with First State staff and subcontractors. In addition, APPRISE staff interviewed First State’s Healthy Homes Assessor to discuss how clients are identified for Healthy Homes, the hazard scoring process, service delivery, and how performance is monitored and assessed. Download Here.
Many low-income usage reduction programs are facing increasing challenges serving customers due to the prevalence of health and safety problems that prevent major measures from being installed. As a result of serious issues in the home, customers must be deferred or are treated with only minor services, and high-usage customers with good potential for savings do not participate or only achieve low energy savings. APPRISE conducted research to assess the circumstances under which additional cost-effective health and safety spending can be made to achieve greater savings for low-income customers and the program as a whole. Download Here.
A northeastern electric and gas utility implemented a low- and moderate-income multi-family smart thermostat pilot program in 2018. The goals of the pilot were to develop an understanding of the multi-family low- and moderate-income market segment, identify barriers to the installation of smart thermostats in this market segment, and evaluate the customer experience and impacts on energy usage. The program installed Nest-E, Honeywell-T6, and Ecobee-3 thermostats in 942 units within 16 buildings across the service territory. The pilot program included a comprehensive evaluation. The research entailed market characterization to assess the potential for expanded implementation throughout the utility’s service territory; interviews with project managers, implementation staff, and building managers; a quantitative survey with 200 participants; and a usage impact analysis to estimate the impact of the program on electric and gas usage. The experience shows that there is potential for implementing this program on a wider basis and provides specific recommendations for how to achieve the most efficient and effective installation. Download Here.
The New Jersey Comfort Partners (NJCP) Program provides critical usage reduction and health and safety services to income-qualified households to increase energy affordability, improve health and safety, and reduce ratepayer bill subsidies. This report provides findings from an evaluation of NJCP jobs completed in 2018. The goals of the evaluation were to estimate energy savings, review and provide recommendations for the energy saving protocols, and provide feedback on how the program may be modified to better achieve its goals. Evaluation research included analysis of changes to program procedures since the last evaluation; a weather-normalized, comparison group-adjusted analysis of the impacts of the program on participants’ electric and natural gas consumption; analysis of the program’s cost-effectiveness; in-depth telephone interviews with program participants; a realization rate analysis; and recommendations for program refinement. Download Here.
PECO’s Low-Income Usage Reduction Program (LIURP) provides energy efficiency services and energy education to PECO’s low-income customers to reduce their energy usage and increase the affordability of their energy bills. The evaluations estimated the impact of LIURP on participants’ energy usage, energy bills, and payment compliance and surveyed customers to analyze the impact of energy education and client behavioral changes. In the 2012 program evaluation, APPRISE also conducted observations of service delivery and inspections on a sample of completed jobs. This research provided information on potential changes to program services and implementation that may lead to increased program savings. The evaluation of 2016 participants assessed the program process, examined the impacts of program treatments on energy usage and affordability, and surveyed customers to assess program satisfaction. Download Here: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2016.
The Minnesota Department of Commerce created the 2021 Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) Working Group to make legislative recommendations to increase the number of low-income Minnesota households served by weatherization and to explore ways to leverage existing funds and identify new funding sources. This study by the University of Minnesota and APPRISE Incorporated was commissioned by the WAP Working Group. Results of the analysis of state weatherization programs are presented in this report along with case studies based on interviews and document reviews on states’ experiences leveraging WAP funds with other programs, applying additional sources of capital for weatherization, and overcoming barriers to enhancing the reach and quality of weatherization programs. Download Report