Grantee Research Project Results
Evaluating the Environmental, Behavioral, and Financial Benefits of Electrification and Energy Efficiency for Underserved Communities
EPA Grant Number: R840567Title: 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 , Indiana University - Bloomington , Over-the-Rhine Community Housing , Office and Environment and Sustainability , Carnegie Mellon University
Current 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 Amount: $1,124,959
RFA: Drivers and Environmental Impacts of Energy Transitions in Underserved Communities. (2022) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Air , Air Quality and Air Toxics , Endocrine Disruptors , Environmental Engineering , Environmental Justice , Social Science , Watersheds
Objective:
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. The study also seeks to identify potential barriers to the widespread adoption of these technologies by underserved populations, at both the household and municipal level. Hypotheses to be tested include that installation of electrification and weatherization technologies will reduce household energy usage, increase energy security, improve comfort and well-being, and improve air quality.
Approach:
To test these hypotheses, the project will collect and analyze a multitude of original, including household energy usage from utility accounts, energy perceptions and behavior through surveys and diaries, indoor air pollutants through passive monitors, and surveys of regional stakeholders in the tri-state, ten county area of Greater Cincinnati.
Expected Results:
he expected results of the project are that electrification and weatherization efforts will reduce energy consumption, improve rates of energy security, and improve indoor air pollution. We also expect to find that barriers to the adoption of energy efficiency and low-carbon technologies for low-income households will be more extensive than for the rest of the population and that local governments need to extend their efforts to deploy these technologies to underserved communities. The outcomes of the proposed project include extensive socioeconomic and behavioral insights that can be used to understand and advance the diffusion of low-carbon and efficient technologies among low-income households, which is important for facilitating the energy transition for underserved communities in a way that achieves broader decarbonization goals. The outputs of the project will include scholarly publications, a report of the study's key findings for municipalities, and extensive public outreach to public, nonprofit, and private stakeholders.
Supplemental Keywords:
Energy insecurity, energy poverty, indoor air quality, barriers to technology adoption, low-income, multifamily units, energy justice, underserved populationsProgress 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.