DOE-887(85) NREL’s Buildings Technologies Program Website Survey

November 30, 2009

Ms. Christine Kymn
Department of Energy Desk Officer
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Office of Management and Budget
Washington, DC 20503
SUBJECT: DOE-887(85) Use of Generic Clearance for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s
Buildings Technologies Program Website Survey
Dear Mr. Frey:
The Buildings Technologies Program of the U.S. Department of Energy plans to use the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) approved generic clearance DOE-887, "DOE Customer Surveys" (OMB
No. 1901-0302, expiring December 31, 2009) to evaluate opinions of users of the program’s website. As
agreed to under the DOE-887, "DOE Customer Surveys" clearance, we will anticipate your approval
within two weeks. However, without your approval, we will not conduct this survey. We will provide
OMB with the results of this data collection when we submit the annual report of surveys conducted
under the generic clearance.
The Buildings Technologies Program website was developed to make information available about the
office’s goal of developing technologies, processes, and tools to improve efficiency of residential and
commercial buildings, and to realize marketable net-zero energy buildings. The website includes
information on buildings technologies, financial opportunities, deployment, partnerships, and technical
resources such as publications and software tools.
The Buildings Technologies Program has developed the attached user survey in response to Executive
Order 12862, "Setting Customer Service Standards." The responses to the proposed questions will be used
for determining audience information needs and improving content and delivery of the website. The
respondents of this survey will consist of Buildings Technologies Program website users. We recognize
that the survey results won't be representative of all users, and the results will only reflect the opinions of
those who choose to participate.
The request to complete the survey will be posted for two months (December 1-January 30, 2009) on the
website home page in a button located in the "Features" section. The number of monthly visits to the
Buildings Technologies Program website is approximately 90,000; we estimate that about 3% of the users
will complete the survey.
The attached survey contains 11 questions and will take approximately 5 minutes to complete. The burden
for all the groups should not exceed 225 hours (2,700 respondents x 5 minutes).
All participation in this survey is voluntary, and data will be kept confidential. No self-identification
information will be collected. All results will be presented in aggregate form. Analysis of the data
collected will limit any divulgence of individual customer responses.

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Gail Werren, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, is the point of contact for questions and may be
contacted at 303-275-3896. Other questions should be directed to Anthoney Perkins, Buildings
Technologies Program, at 202-287-1846. For questions regarding the forms clearance process, please
contact Grace Sutherland at 202-586-6264.

Sincerely,
/S/
Stephanie Brown
Director
Statistics and Methods Group
Energy Information Administration

Enclosure - Survey

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