Grantee Research Project Results

2024 Progress Report: Evaluating the Environmental, Behavioral, and Financial Benefits of Electrification and Energy Efficiency for Underserved Communities

EPA Grant Number: R840567
Title: Evaluating the Environmental, Behavioral, and Financial Benefits of Electrification and Energy Efficiency for Underserved Communities
Investigators: Mooney-Bullock, Ryan , Sullivan, Savannah , Carley, Sanya , Konisky, David , Burke-Rivers, Mary , Robertshaw, Molly , Nock, Destinie
Institution: Green Umbrella , Carnegie Mellon University , Indiana University - Bloomington , Over-the-Rhine Community Housing , Office and Environment and Sustainability
EPA Project Officer: Chung, Serena
Project Period: July 1, 2023 through May 2, 2025
Project Period Covered by this Report: July 1, 2023 through June 30,2024
Project Amount: $1,124,959
RFA: Drivers and Environmental Impacts of Energy Transitions in Underserved Communities. (2022) RFA Text |  Recipients Lists
Research Category: Watersheds , Endocrine Disruptors , Environmental Engineering , Environmental Justice , Social Science , Air Quality and Air Toxics , Air

Objective:

In this project, we have three primary objectives: (1) analyze the effect of energy efficiency and electrification adoption on energy outcomes; (2) estimate the indoor air pollution benefits of energy efficiency and electrification; and (3) identify the individual- and municipal-level barriers to adoption of clean technologies for underserved populations. In short, the objectives of this community-led project are to evaluate the effects of electrification and energy efficiency on household energy consumption, security, and behavior, as well as on indoor air quality, for residents of multifamily dwelling units in urban Cincinnati. We also aim to identify potential barriers to the widespread adoption of these technologies by underserved populations, both at the household and municipal levels.

Progress Summary:

In the first year of this research project, the team has made strides, despite minor setbacks which pushed back our timeline. After recruitment of part-time staff from the City of Cincinnati and Over-the-Rhine Community Housing (OTRCH), and two PhD students from Indiana University and Carnegie Mellon University, the team submitted and received approval of IRB materials (i.e., subject recruitment materials, informed consent forms). Staff members from all partnering organizations who were to interface directly with research participants completed the required Human Research training process.

Together, the team selected buildings within the OTRCH portfolio of properties, based on specific criteria, to be targeted for study participant recruitment. During recruitment of participants, the team held three informational meetings with OTRCH residents, during which signed informed consent documents were collected. In addition to these three sessions, project members conducted direct outreach with other residents from the pre-selected buildings, and allowed residents alternative times to hear the same presentation and give signed informed consent for the research project. In total, the team has recruited 53 households. After recruitment was completed, the research team randomly assigned buildings with research participants to ensure treatment and control groups were roughly equivalent for important characteristics. The final sizes of each group are as follows: 18 households in 6 buildings in Treatment Group 1 (electrification and weatherization), 18 households in 8 buildings in Treatment Group 2 (weatherization), and 17 households in 7 buildings in the Control Group.

The research team, in tandem with recruitment, designed and tested the main data collection instruments, including the energy surveys and energy diaries. Members of the research team coded these instruments into Qualtrics software and have ensured that they are ready to be deployed. Additionally, the project team has acquired uHoo Smart Air Monitors, the air quality monitoring system that will be used in the research project. The team tested the performance of these monitors in terms of ease of installation and for the durability of the Wi-fi connection, and they are ready to be deployed to the study participant households. Finally, the team has finished negotiations to install Wi-fi in each study participant household, with installation currently scheduled for September 2024.

Future Activities:

In the upcoming period, we will officially begin our data collection activities. These activities include (1) analysis of monthly utility bills to measure unit-level energy consumption, (2) conduction of energy surveys to measure energy affordability and usage, (3) conduction of energy diaries to measure daily energy use habits and preferences, and (4) installation and monitoring of air quality monitors to measure indoor air quality. We will begin and hopefully complete the weatherization and electrification updates to relevant households by early in grant Year 3. We will design and launch the survey for Regional Climate Collaborative members to better understand barriers to the widespread adoption of weatherization and electrification in multi-family housing. The Project Advisory Board will launch in October and provide ongoing support and insight to the research team.

Supplemental Keywords:

Energy insecurity, energy poverty, indoor air quality, barriers to technology adoption, low-income, multifamily units, energy justice, underserved populations, energy burden, electrification, weatherization, rental units

Relevant Websites:

None specific to this grant.

Progress and Final Reports:

Original Abstract

Final