STANDARD GRANT: Indexing Energy Performance in Housing Servicescapes: A Multiscale Study in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic Region

Drexel University, Philadelphia PA

Investigators

Abstract

This project explores energy vulnerability as a social and technical problem. Energy vulnerability occurs when a household cannot afford to maintain temperature levels suitable for health and wellbeing. Existing research shows that factors such as the amount of available housing, energy markets, and government policies all contribute to energy vulnerability, and that energy vulnerability disproportionally affects the elderly, the disabled, renters, and low-income families. The investigator on this project will use a combination of ethnographic observations, in-depth interviews, and focus group research to understand the extent of energy vulnerability in three US counties, how energy providers work to address it, and how energy vulnerability relates to energy performance mechanisms. This research will provide important information for developing new policies and insights that could help to reduce energy vulnerability in the future. The project uses a multi-site ethnographic approach incorporating participant observation, in-depth interviews, and focus groups to explore: (1) energy vulnerability across three different US counties; (2) the sociotechnical strategies used by energy services organizations to address energy vulnerability; and (3) how energy performance mechanisms shape energy efficiency at different spatial and temporal scales. Research will be conducted through the Energy Coordinating Agency (ECA), a multi-state nonprofit organization that works with state and federal programs to address energy vulnerability, and at four ECA energy centers. Qualitative analyses of media reports and internal reports and documents from the Energy Coordinating Agency will be used to supplement other forms of data gathering. The main goals are to advance understanding of the dynamics of energy vulnerability in the US, to share these insights to find ways to help reduce energy vulnerability, and to show how energy performance can be used as an analytic framework for theorizing how humans interact with technology. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.