Residential energy use and conservation actions: analysis of disaggregate household data

Technical Report · Sun Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1981

OSTI ID:6874075

Hirst, E; Goeltz, R; Carney, J

The Energy Information Administration recently published data they collected from the National Interim Energy Consumption Survey (NIECS). NIECS includes detailed information on 4081 individual households: demographic characteristics, energy-related features of the structure, heating equipment and appliances therein, recent conservation actions taken by the household, and fuel consumption and cost for the April 1978 to March 1979 one-year period. This data set provides a new and valuable resource for analysis. The NIECS data on household energy consumption - total energy use, electricity use, and use of the primary space heating fuel, are summarized and analyzed. The regression equations constructed explain roughly half the variation in energy use among households. These equations contain ten or fewer independent variables, the most important of which are fuel price, year house was built, floor area, and heating degree days. Regression equations were developed that estimate the energy saving achieved by each household based on their recent retrofit actions. These equations predict 20 to 40% of the variation among households. Total annual energy use is the most important determinant of retrofit energy saving; other significant variables include age of household head, household income, year house was built, housing tenure, and proxies for the cost of heating and air conditioning the house.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
• OSTI ID: 6874075
• Report Number(s): ORNL/CON-68
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290100 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Energy Analysis & Modeling
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320101* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Residential Buildings-- (-1987)
COST
DATA
DATA ANALYSIS
ENERGY ANALYSIS
ENERGY CONSERVATION
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION
EVALUATED DATA
HOUSEHOLDS
INCOME
INFORMATION
MATHEMATICS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NUMERICAL DATA
PRICES
REGRESSION ANALYSIS
RESIDENTIAL SECTOR
RETROFITTING
STATISTICS
US DOE
US ORGANIZATIONS