IAQ & Healthy Homes

2018 HPC National Conference Session

Health and Safety Investments to Increase Energy-Saving Opportunities

Presenter(s)

• 

  Jacqueline Berger

  President
  APPRISE
• DD

  Deb Davis

  Manager, Universal Services
  Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania/Maryland/Virginia

Many low-income usage reduction programs face increasing challenges serving customers due to the prevalence of health and safety problems that prevent installation of major measures. As a result of serious issues in the home, customers must be deferred or are treated with only minor services, and high-usage customers with good potential for savings do not participate or only achieve low energy savings. We conducted research to assess the circumstances under which additional cost-effective health and safety investments can increase energy savings. The research conducted for a natural gas utility included an assessment of the types and frequency of health and safety issues encountered, a description of the current approach to health and safety issue remediation, an analysis of energy efficiency program savings results, and a decision framework to assess when and how much additional should be spent on health and safety issue remediation.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the prevalence of health and safety issues in low-income homes
• Assess how health and safety issues can prevent weatherization measures
• Examine investments that can allow for additional cost-effective energy efficiency work to proceed