Grantee Research Project Results
An Assessment of Energy Efficiency Information Provision: Financial, Energy and Environmental Impacts of City Benchmarking Mandates
EPA Grant Number: F13F41293Title: An Assessment of Energy Efficiency Information Provision: Financial, Energy and Environmental Impacts of City Benchmarking Mandates
Investigators: Gerarden, Todd
Institution: Harvard University
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: September 2, 2014 through September 2, 2016
Project Amount: $84,000
RFA: STAR Graduate Fellowships (2013) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Fellowship - Environmental , Academic Fellowships
Objective:
The purpose of this research is to quantify the impact of building energy use disclosure programs by studying three questions: What is the effect of energy use disclosure policies on the market valuation of energy efficiency? What is the effect of these policies on energy outcomes? What are the resulting environmental impacts and human health effects of these energy outcomes?Approach:
These research questions will be addressed through detailed econometric analysis. This analysis will harness new data to identify the effect of energy use disclosure policies using variation in the policies across buildings, neighborhoods and jurisdictions. This analysis also will incorporate existing research findings to translate energy use outcomes into environmental and human health effects.Expected Results:
This analysis will generate quantitative estimates of the impact of energy use disclosure policies on market, energy use and environmental outcomes. In doing so, it will provide evidence on the effectiveness of these policies in reducing local pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy use.
Potential to Further Environmental/Human Health Protection
This project will provide quantitative evidence enabling policy makers to assess the effectiveness of energy use disclosure policies and respond more effectively to challenges posed by inefficient energy use. The methods used in this study may guide policy analysts in further examining specific programs. These results may inform the creation or modification of policies that provide concrete environmental and human health effects.
Supplemental Keywords:
benchmarking, built environment, energy efficiencyProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.