Development of new end-user survey methods and tools is permitted, but the tools must be tested with field work to demonstrate their usefulness. The solicitation states as one of the purposes: "Recommend alternative formulations of energy efficiency potential models that clearly identify the portion of cost-effective potential that is achievable by segmenting populations in different ways, relying upon means such as variables descriptive of social, cultural, and behavioral phenomena among subpopulations." Can we segment a population using an approach based on processing of household interval metering data, instead of using social or cultural data? The advantage would be that these data are freely available to the utilities, unlike the precise household social or cultural data. On the other hand, we won't analyze social and cultural data per se. Will such a proposal be considered as responsive? No. PON-14-306, page 1, states, purpose of this solicitation is to fund “The market facilitation projects that involve analysis of the role of society, culture, and behavior in the adoption and use of energy efficiency measures in the residential to interval metering data for sector.” Access experimental participants and non-participants is clearly a key feature of understanding impacts of energy efficiency, but such data have to be combined with societal, cultural and behavior data that explain the interval metering consumption data. Regarding the paragraph opening, projects must use real world “Funded application and Must applications and data be already existing data…” resources or can proposals include the development of new methods and tools for purpose of accounting data? There may be some datasets that have recorded some of these variables, but staff anticipates new fieldwork and new data analysis will be necessary. Availability of Results It has been implicitly stated that this work is widely used by ratepayers only. In the future, can local utilities use some of the findings? Yes. The results will be publicly available. Match Funds Are reductions in the indirect cost rate for a university accepted as match funds contribution or PON-14-306 and other EPIC program opportunities?
Development of new end-user survey methods and tools is permitted, but the tools must be tested with field work to demonstrate their usefulness. The solicitation states as one of the purposes: "Recommend alternative formulations of energy efficiency potential models that clearly identify the portion of cost-effective potential that is achievable by segmenting populations in different ways, relying upon means such as variables descriptive of social, cultural, and behavioral phenomena among subpopulations." Can we segment a population using an approach based on processing of household interval metering data, instead of using social or cultural data? The advantage would be that these data are freely available to the utilities, unlike the precise household social or cultural data. On the other hand, we won't analyze social and cultural data per se. Will such a proposal be considered as responsive? No. PON-14-306, page 1, states, “The purpose of this solicitation is to fund market facilitation projects that involve analysis of the role of society, culture, and behavior in the adoption and use of energy efficiency measures in the residential sector.” Access to interval metering data for experimental participants and non-participants is clearly a key feature of understanding impacts of energy efficiency, but such data have to be combined with societal, cultural and behavior data that explain the interval metering consumption data. Regarding the paragraph opening, “Funded projects must use real world application and data…” Must applications and data be already existing resources or can proposals include the development of new methods and tools for purpose of accounting data? There may be some datasets that have recorded some of these variables, but staff anticipates new fieldwork and new data analysis will be necessary. Availability of Results It has been implicitly stated that this work is widely used by ratepayers only. In the future, can local utilities use some of the findings? Yes. The results will be publicly available. Match Funds Are reductions in the indirect cost rate for a university accepted as match funds contribution or PON-14-306 and other EPIC program opportunities?
PON-14-306_Questions_and_Answers.docx