Energy use among the low-income elderly: a closer look

Conference · Sun Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1984

OSTI ID:5528137

Diamond, R C

An investigation of energy use in a public housing project for the ederly continues to turn up unexpected findings regarding the importance of occupant behavior in actual energy consumption. Detailed examination of eighteen months of utility bills for each unit in the project shows wide variation (on the order of 10-1) in both summer and winter. Because we found little correlation between individual energy use, construction quality, and reported thermostat settings, we examined additional behavioral and attitudinal data collected from interviews for clues to the large variations observed. Factors affecting the energy used by residents as well as by groups of high and low users are presented. Differences in the residents' health and comfort, the level of satisfaction with the heating/cooling system, the degree of understanding and control exercised, attitudes toward conserving, and income and status, all appear to be variables underlying the wide divergence in energy usage. 21 refs., 12 figs.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00098
• OSTI ID: 5528137
• Report Number(s): LBL-17593; CONF-840819-19; ON: DE85015126
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320101* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Residential Buildings-- (-1987)
AGED ADULTS
BUILDINGS
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
HUMAN POPULATIONS
LOW INCOME GROUPS
MINORITY GROUPS
POPULATIONS
PUBLIC ENTERPRISES
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
VARIATIONS