APPRISE - Energy Research



Resource Library Home

• Reports

◊ Usage Reduction

◊ Bill Payment Assistance

◊	Energy Surveys & Policy Analysis

◊ Market Transformation

Home Research Areas Research Activities Resource Library Clients Staff Job Opportunities

APPRISE Selected Reports:

Energy Survey Research and Policy Analysis

Energy Poverty in Arizona
This report examines the energy needs of low-income households in state of Arizona, the city of Phoenix, and two neighborhoods surrounding Phoenix. Staff conducted the research in this report in 2005 and presented it at the 19th Annual National Low Income Energy Conference. In presenting our findings, we describe how the public-use data sets used in this analysis can help inform the decision making of program managers and key stakeholders. Sources used in this research include the Census Public Use Microdata (PUMS) Five Percent Sample, the Current Population Survey (CPS) Annual Social and Economic Supplement (ASEC), and the American Housing Survey (AHS).

Energy Programs Consortium Survey on Increased Fuel Costs Report
This reports presents the results from a survey on the impact of increased home energy and gasoline costs. The purpose of this study was to develop an understanding of the sacrifices and tradeoffs that low, moderate, and middle income households have made in response to rising fuel costs. The study showed that increased home energy and gasoline costs have impacted households at all income levels. Low-income households, as expected, have sacrificed the most as a result of these price increases. Low- to middle-income households are likely to have gone without food and medicine and to have compromised their energy usage. Low- to moderate-income households are likely to have missed energy bill payments and even have their service terminated. They are also likely to have gotten behind on credit card bills, mortgage or rent, and car payments. All income groups however, have reduced discretionary spending, driving, and heating and cooling usage. All income groups have also made investments in more energy efficient heating, cooling, and appliances to bring down their costs.

LIHEAP Energy Burden Evaluation

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is one of seven block grants originally authorized by the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981. In 1994, the purpose of the LIHEAP statute was amended to clarify that the program is "to assist low income households, particularly those with the lowest income, that pay a high proportion of household income for home energy, primarily in meeting their immediate home energy needs."

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.

LIHEAP Home Energy Notebook (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007)

APPRISE provides program support to the Federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which is a federally funded program to help eligible low-income households meet their home heating and cooling needs. The LIHEAP Home Energy Notebook focuses on the home energy mission of LIHEAP by providing LIHEAP grantees with the latest national and regional data on home energy consumption, expenditures, and burden; low income home energy trends; and the LIHEAP program performance measurement system.

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., <Year Published>.

LIHEAP Performance Management Project, Recipiency Targeting Analysis for Elderly and Young Child Households
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Statute requires that assistance is targeted to households that have the lowest incomes and the highest energy costs or needs in relation to income. However, despite outreach and targeting efforts undertaken by ACF, the measured program targeting rates for vulnerable households have declined over the last three years. The purpose of this two-phase study was to develop information that can help State LIHEAP programs more effectively target eligible vulnerable households. The first phase reviewed the experience of other Federal social welfare programs in targeting vulnerable households to assess whether they have identified strategies that are effective in reaching elderly households and/or young child households. The second phase examined the design of the LIHEAP programs in 17 States to assess whether certain program design features were associated with higher targeting rates for vulnerable households.

LIHEAP Targeting Performance Measurement Statistics: GPRA Validation of Estimation Procedures

This study examined and compared alternative procedures for estimating the recipiency targeting performance measurement indicators used by the LIHEAP program to measure program performance. This report includes recommendations for how the LIHEAP program should develop recipiency targeting performance measurement statistics in the future.

Multi-Sponsor Study of Ratepayer-Funded Low-Income Energy Programs
Policymakers throughout the country have identified the need for low-income energy assistance and have made significant commitments to low-income energy programs. In 2005, there was more than $2.4 billion in funding for the Federal LIHEAP and WAP programs and more than $2.3 billion in funding for state and local low-income energy programs. However, for the same year, the aggregate residential energy bill for low-income households was estimated to be about $32 billion. Policymakers considering the implementation of and/or expansion of low-income energy programs need information that helps them to assess the needs of households in their jurisdictions.

The purpose of this study is 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.

National Energy Assistance Survey Report (2003)
In FY2004 LIHEAP provided close to $2 billion in heating and cooling assistance to more than 4.9 million low-income households throughout the United States. The National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association (NEADA), representing the state directors of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), contracted with APPRISE Incorporated to conduct a national survey of 2,161 LIHEAP recipients to collect information on the choices made by households in FY2003 when faced with high energy bills. The study clearly documents that low-income households spend an inordinate amount of their household income on energy. It also shows that LIHEAP-recipient households face significant hardship in attempting to pay their energy bills and that LIHEAP makes a notable difference for these people. The study has been cited by policymakers and the press as evidence of the need for more energy assistance for low-income households.

National Energy Assistance Survey Report (2005)
The National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association (NEADA), representing the state directors of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), contracted with APPRISE Incorporated to conduct a follow-up to the national survey of LIHEAP recipients that was conducted in 2003. This survey collected information on changes in the financial situation of LIHEAP recipient households and the choices that they made when faced with high energy bills. The study shows that LIHEAP recipient households continue to face difficult decisions related to their energy bills, and that LIHEAP benefits continue to make a difference for recipients.

National Energy Assistance Survey Report (2008)
The National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association (NEADA), representing the state LIHEAP directors, contracted with APPRISE to conduct a follow-up to the national surveys of LIHEAP recipients that were conducted in 2003 and 2005. This survey 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 2008 Survey included a subsample of 12 of the 20 states that were included in the 2003 and 2005 Surveys. Stratified samples of fiscal year 2008 LIHEAP recipients were chosen from each of the 12 state LIHEAP databases. This report presents the findings from the 2008 NEA Survey and provides comparisons to the 2003 Survey.

New Jersey Energy Star Homes Report (2009)
The New Jersey Clean Energy Program (NJ CEP) promotes energy efficiency and the use of clean, renewable sources of energy. The Residential Construction Program, known as the New Jersey ENERGY STAR Homes Program, furnishes technical assistance and financial incentives to builders who commit to construct new homes to the standards established by the ENERGY STAR Homes Program. The purpose of this report is to present the findings from the ENERGY STAR Homes Program Impact Evaluation.

Washington Energy Assistance Survey Report (2005)
APPRISE conducted a statewide survey of LIHEAP recipient households in Washington to document the challenges that these households face in meeting their energy needs. The Washington State Energy Assistance Survey documented the need for LIHEAP and the choices that low-income households make when faced with unaffordable energy bills. Research showed that LIHEAP plays a significant role in alleviating some of the problems caused by high energy bills. The survey documented the percentage of these households that go without food or medical care, keep their home at unsafe or unhealthy temperatures, and use dangerous heating methods. The survey report documents the survey background, methodology, and findings.

Washington State Energy Needs Report
The Washington Office of Community Trade and Economic Development (CTED) has been interested in developing information on LIHEAP-eligible households in Washington and the challenges that they face in meeting their energy needs to help them improve their LIHEAP program and create support for additional energy assistance in Washington State. This report examines the need and availability of energy assistance in Washington, the variability in household demographics and energy assistance need across the many utility service territories in Washington, the low-income energy programs that are offered by Washington electric and gas utilities, and the variation in energy prices across the state. Recommendations are made for the types of energy programs that might best meet the need of low-income households in the state.