Evaluating energy efficiency potential in low-income households: A flexible and granular approach

Wilson, Eric J; Harris, Chioke; Roberts, Joseph; Agan, John

doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2019.01.054

Title: Evaluating energy efficiency potential in low-income households: A flexible and granular approach

Abstract

This study presents a new approach to evaluating energy efficiency potential that provides a more accurate, granular, and flexible estimate of the cost-effective energy efficiency potential in households of various income ranges. Results from this work estimate that in U.S. single-family households with income less than 200% of the federal poverty level, energy efficiency packages tailored to maximize net present value could result in an estimated $13 billion per year in energy cost savings, or $670 per year for an average household, corresponding to about 1 EJ (0.9 quads) of annual primary energy savings. These types of metrics can be estimated for other geographies (regions, states, and counties) and for other ranges of household income. These results can be used by policymakers and program designers to improve the cost-effectiveness of income-qualified programs and to improve the equity of non-income-qualified programs. The results can also be used to understand how energy efficiency opportunities differ between urban and rural areas, as well as how energy efficiency can spur economic development in areas that have had high poverty rates for decades.

Authors:

^[1];

^[1]; Roberts, Joseph ^[1]; Agan, John ^[2]

National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC (United States). Office of Policy

Publication Date:: Wed Apr 10 00:00:00 EDT 2019

Research Org.:: National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Energy Policy and Systems Analysis (EPSA); USDOE

OSTI Identifier:: 1512672

Alternate Identifier(s):: OSTI ID: 1636495

Report Number(s):: NREL/JA-5500-72072
Journal ID: ISSN 0301-4215

Grant/Contract Number:: AC36-08GO28308

Resource Type:: Accepted Manuscript

Journal Name:: Energy Policy

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Volume: 129; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 0301-4215

Publisher:: Elsevier

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

Subject:: 29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY; 32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION; energy efficiency potential; cost-effectiveness; energy modeling; building stock modeling; weatherization; low-income housing

Citation Formats


                    Wilson, Eric J, Harris, Chioke, Roberts, Joseph, and Agan, John. Evaluating energy efficiency potential in low-income households: A flexible and granular approach.  United States: N. p., 2019. 
Web.  doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2019.01.054.

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                    Wilson, Eric J, Harris, Chioke, Roberts, Joseph, & Agan, John. Evaluating energy efficiency potential in low-income households: A flexible and granular approach.  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2019.01.054

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                    Wilson, Eric J, Harris, Chioke, Roberts, Joseph, and Agan, John. Wed .  
"Evaluating energy efficiency potential in low-income households: A flexible and granular approach".  United States.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2019.01.054.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1512672.

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@article{osti_1512672,

  title        = {Evaluating energy efficiency potential in low-income households: A flexible and granular approach},

  author       = {Wilson, Eric J and Harris, Chioke and Roberts, Joseph and Agan, John},

  abstractNote = {This study presents a new approach to evaluating energy efficiency potential that provides a more accurate, granular, and flexible estimate of the cost-effective energy efficiency potential in households of various income ranges. Results from this work estimate that in U.S. single-family households with income less than 200% of the federal poverty level, energy efficiency packages tailored to maximize net present value could result in an estimated $13 billion per year in energy cost savings, or $670 per year for an average household, corresponding to about 1 EJ (0.9 quads) of annual primary energy savings. These types of metrics can be estimated for other geographies (regions, states, and counties) and for other ranges of household income. These results can be used by policymakers and program designers to improve the cost-effectiveness of income-qualified programs and to improve the equity of non-income-qualified programs. The results can also be used to understand how energy efficiency opportunities differ between urban and rural areas, as well as how energy efficiency can spur economic development in areas that have had high poverty rates for decades.},

  doi          = {10.1016/j.enpol.2019.01.054},

  journal      = {Energy Policy},

  number       = C,

  volume       = 129,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Wed Apr 10 00:00:00 EDT 2019},

  month        = {Wed Apr 10 00:00:00 EDT 2019}

}

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Works referenced in this record:

Comparing the effectiveness of weatherization treatments for low-income, American, urban housing stocks in different climates
journal, February 2014

Bradshaw, Jonathan L.; Bou-Zeid, Elie; Harris, Robert H.
Energy and Buildings, Vol. 69
DOI: 10.1016/j.enbuild.2013.11.035

On a Least Squares Adjustment of a Sampled Frequency Table When the Expected Marginal Totals are Known
journal, December 1940

Deming, W. Edwards; Stephan, Frederick F.
The Annals of Mathematical Statistics, Vol. 11, Issue 4
DOI: 10.1214/aoms/1177731829

Energy use by apartment tenants when landlords pay for utilities
journal, March 2004

Levinson, Arik; Niemann, Scott
Resource and Energy Economics, Vol. 26, Issue 1
DOI: 10.1016/S0928-7655(03)00047-2

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Witt, Sadie M.; Stults, Shelby; Rieves, Emma
Sustainability, Vol. 11, Issue 14
DOI: 10.3390/su11143965

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Similar Records

Title: Evaluating energy efficiency potential in low-income households: A flexible and granular approach

Abstract

Citation Formats

Comparing the effectiveness of weatherization treatments for low-income, American, urban housing stocks in different climates journal, February 2014

On a Least Squares Adjustment of a Sampled Frequency Table When the Expected Marginal Totals are Known journal, December 1940

Energy use by apartment tenants when landlords pay for utilities journal, March 2004

Findings from a Pilot Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Bulb Exchange Program at a Neighborhood Scale journal, July 2019

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journal, February 2014

On a Least Squares Adjustment of a Sampled Frequency Table When the Expected Marginal Totals are Known
journal, December 1940

Energy use by apartment tenants when landlords pay for utilities
journal, March 2004

Findings from a Pilot Light-Emitting Diode (LED) Bulb Exchange Program at a Neighborhood Scale
journal, July 2019