Supporting Statement final-OMB

United States Department of Energy

Supporting Statement

OMB Number 1910-new

“Programs for Improving Energy Efficiency in Residential Buildings”

This supporting statement provides additional information regarding the Department of Energy (DOE) request for processing of the proposed information collection, “Programs for Improving Energy Efficiency in Residential Buildings”. This Information Collection Request (ICR) is not rule related. All participation in the programs is voluntary.

The numbered questions correspond to the order shown on the Office of Management and Budget Form 83-I, “Instructions for Completing OMB Form 83-I.” Under each numbered question, this supporting statement provides answers and indicates where the answers are specific to each program.

1. Justification

1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary. Identify any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection. Attach a copy of the appropriate section of each statute and regulation mandating or authorizing the information collection.

The Department of Energy Organization Act, P.L. 95-91 of August 17, 1977, authorizes DOE to create a coordinated national energy program. The Energy Policy Act of 2005, Sec 911, also authorizes DOE to conduct programs to increase energy efficiency of buildings. The Building Technologies Office in the DOE has four programs that encourage and assist the organizations that volunteer to participate in them to build and renovate new and existing buildings to use less energy. The four DOE programs that are part of this ICR are the Zero Energy Ready Home Program, the Better Buildings Residential Network, the Home Energy Score (HEScore), and the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program (HPwES). These are new programs and this is an initial submittal. The information gathered by DOE in these four programs is necessary for DOE to run the programs effectively.

DOE is collecting information from partners to understand the universe of organizations participating in these voluntary programs.

2. Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used. Except for a new collection, indicate the actual use the agency has made of the information received from the current collection

DOE and its authorized contractors who run the programs will collect information to better understand the participating partners’ activities and progress toward achieving scheduled milestones. This will allow DOE to make better decisions about the best way to run the programs, improve outreach to make the programs more widely known, and better respond to partners’ needs.

The four programs for improving the energy efficiency in residential buildings are administered in the Building Technolgies Office in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy at DOE. DOE’s overall goals for residential buildings by the year 2020 are to:

• demonstrate cost-effective deep energy savings of 60% in new homes and 40% in existing homes,

• prove retrofit solutions at scale by upgrading 1 million homes,

• prove solutions for new construction at scale through 50,000 zero energy ready homes,

• build partnerships offering 5% energy savings through individual energy savings measures, and

• establish partnerships that have the potential to impact 90% of all U.S. homes.

DOE will limit information collection to what is necessary to run the programs. The information collection instruments that DOE will use, the forms and web page screens, are attached to this Information Collection Request package.

ZERO ENERGY READY HOME PROGRAM. The Zero Energy Ready Home program is a voluntary labeling and recognition program for new homes that encourages home builders to build homes that are so efficient that their energy consumption can be offset by renewable energy systems. Its goal is to achieve 5% market penetration among home builders by 2020.

The organizations and individuals who decide to participate in the Zero Energy Ready Home program are home owners, home builders, home builder tradesman and associations, home design professionals, students in architecture and related building construction industries, home energy raters, home energy auditors, home inspectors, building consultants, manufacturers of building products, professional trainers, utility companies, home building and manufacturing industry associations, consumer and home building industry advocacy organizations, and financial institutions.

The Zero Energy Ready Home program will collect information using the collection instruments and activities described below through the Zero Energy Ready Home web site. Some are required for full participation in the program while others are optional.

File name (Adobe PDF format)	Form Name	First line on top of form, and URL if available	DOE Form number
registration1	Partner Agreement Form	Register for the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home, http://www5.eere.energy.gov/buildings/residential/register/	DOE HQ F 413.4
ZERH Verifier PA Final_0.pdf	VERIFIER PARTNER AGREEMENT	VERIFIER PARTNER AGREEMENT, http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2014/10/f18/ZERH%20Verifier%20PA%20Final_0.pdf	Instruction for DOE HQ F 413.4
ZERH Training PA Final_0 (1).pdf	TRAINING PARTNER AGREEMENT	TRAINING PARTNER AGREEMENT, http://energy.gov/eere/buildings/doe-zero-energy-ready-home-partner-central	Instruction for DOE HQ F 413.4
zerh_innovation_partner_agreement_9-15-15.pdf	INNOVATION PARTNER AGREEMENT	INNOVATION PARTNER AGREEMENT, http://energy.gov/eere/buildings/doe-zero-energy-ready-home-partner-central	Instruction for DOE HQ F 413.4
ZERH Arch Designer PA Final_0.pdf	ARCHITECT / DESIGNER PARTNER AGREEMENT	ARCHITECT / DESIGNER PARTNER AGREEMENT, http://energy.gov/eere/buildings/doe-zero-energy-ready-home-partner-central	Instruction for DOE HQ F 413.4
ZERH Builder PA Final.pdf	BUILDER PARTNER AGREEMENT	BUILDER PARTNER AGREEMENT, http://energy.gov/eere/buildings/downloads/zerh-builder-partnership-agreement	Instruction for DOE HQ F 413.4
zerh_lender_pa_011615.pdf	LENDER PARTNER AGREEMENT	LENDER PARTNER AGREEMENT, http://energy.gov/eere/buildings/doe-zero-energy-ready-home-partner-central	Instruction for DOE HQ F 413.4
ZERH Logo Use Guidelines.pdf	ZERH Logo Use Guidelines	Guidelines for Correctly Using the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Name and Logo, http://energy.gov/eere/buildings/downloads/guidelines-correctly-using-doe-zero-energy-ready-home-name-and-logo	Instruction for DOE HQ F 413.4
Remrate	Challenge Home Registry Report	DOE Zero Energy Ready Home, (software)	DOE HQ F 413.5
ZERH EvaluationForm	Training Evaluation Form	DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Training Evaluation Form, (paper)	DOE HQ F 413.6
2015 ZERO HIA Application Package 2-25-14	Housing Innovation Award Application	2015 Housing Innovation Awards Application Package, http://energy.gov/eere/buildings/housing-innovation-awards (note: form not currently posted – only live during awards cycle)	DOE HQ F 413.7
Tour of Zero Form	Tour of Zero application Form	DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Tour of Zero Form	DOE HQ F 413.8
Case Study Form	Case Study Form	DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Case Study Form	DOE HQ F 413.9
ZERH Trainer Qualifications Form	Training Qualification Form	Zero Energy Ready Home Qualified Instructor Application Form	DOE HQ F 413.11
RERH ZERH Checklists	Renewable Energy Ready Checklist	DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Consolidated Renewable Energy Ready Checklist, http://energy.gov/eere/buildings/downloads/doe-zero-energy-ready-home-pv-ready-checklist	DOE HQ F 413.12
RTZ registration	Student Home Design Competition Form	2015 Race to Zero Student Design Competition - Start Your Registration	DOE HQ F 413.13
QM Checklist.pdf	QA/QC Checklist	DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Recommended Quality Management Provisions	DOE HQ F 413.35

Partner Agreement Form

Organizations can join the Zero Energy Ready Home by registering on-line. Registering is done by submitting basic contact information, reading the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home National Program Requirements, and by reading and agreeing to one of the partner agreements depending on the type of partner. The Agreements explain the requirements of the program for the respective partner types. The information that is collected through the registration form is needed for DOE to be able to communicate with the partners and to categorize partners so DOE can target outreach, appropriately assist partners, and analyze participation.

Data Items

People submit the following data items on the registration form:

• Organization’s name, address, phone number, web site address;

• Type of organization (builder, trainer, or verifier);

• Name, title, email address, and signature of the primary person to contact;

• Organization’s logo;

• States where they do business;

Verifier Partner Agreement

The six page form explains the requirements of the program for partners who verify homes to meet the ZERH program requirements

Data Items

Reference the form which explains the eligibility and commitment requirements to be a verifier in the ZERH program.

Training Partner Agreement

The nine page form explains the requirements of the program for partners who train builders and others to participate in the ZERH program.

Data Items

Reference the form which explains the eligibility and commitment requirements to be a training partner in the ZERH program.

Innovation Partner Agreement

The six page form explain the requirements of the program for partners who support DOE in its efforts to educate consumers on the benefits of zero energy ready homes.

Data Items

Reference the form which explains the eligibility and commitment requirements to be an innovation partner in the ZERH program.

Architect/Designer Partner Agreement

The six page form explains that partners accepting this agreement are expected to design homes to meet the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home National Program Requirements.

Data Items

Reference the form which explains the eligibility and commitment requirement requirements to be an Architect/Designer partner in the ZERH program.

Builder Partner Agreement

The six page form explains that partners accepting this agreement are expected to construct and certify homes to meet the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home National Program Requirements.

Data Items

Reference the form which explains the eligibility and commitment requirements to be a Builder partner in the ZERH program.

Lender Partner Agreement

The six page form explains that partners accepting this agreement are expected to facilitate green mortgage appraisals to certified homes under the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Program.

Data Items

Reference the form which explains the eligibility and commitment requirements to be a Lender partner in the ZERH program.

ZERH Logo Use Guidelines

The five page instructions show and describe how logos and words are best used so that participants in the ZERH program can reference the government as a source of authority and maintain the value and benefits of the program.

Data Items

The five page instructions describe how work and logos may and may not be used and explains the DOE review policy.

Zero Energy Ready Home Registry Report

Home builders and home raters commonly conduct detailed analyses of homes as part of a home energy rating. This analysis is separate from and not a requirement of the Zero Energy Ready Home program. However the results of the rating can be used to certify a home as a DOE Zero Energy Ready Home. Many other voluntary publically and privately-run home certification programs use this same rating system. When they complete the analyses their computer software automatically generates the Zero Energy Ready Home Verification Summary which the builders or raters will email to DOE. DOE tested the submission process and worked with the home energy raters to be sure it can be completed quickly and efficiently. This information is the large majority of information collection responses for the Zero Energy Ready Home program. DOE will use it to evaluate, modify, and publicize the program. DOE needs the data from every home to ensure partners are meeting the requirements and to analyze program achievements, including energy savings and energy cost savings. The very large variations in design, size, and energy use among homes make it difficult to sample fewer homes and use statistical analysis to accurately understand all homes.

Data Items

The Home Registry form which asks for information about the house and its energy use:

• House type;

• DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Builder Partner ID#;

• Year built;

• Number of Bedrooms;

• Square footage of Conditioned Space including Basement;

• Square footage of conditioned space without Basement;

• Registered Builder;

• Certified Rater;

• Site address;

• HERS Index without On-site Generation;

• HERS Index with On-site Generation (if applicable);

• HERS Index of the Target Home using size adjustment factor;

• Rating software;

• Date of rating;

• Estimated annual energy costs;

• Estimated annual energy use;

• Estimated annual energy savings;

• Energy cost rates;

• Estimated annual emissions reductions;

• A certification that the house meets all mandatory requirements of the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home guidelines;

• An indication whether the home was qualified via sampling in lieu of testing;

• Whether the following also apply to the house:

  • Certified under the EPA Indoor airPLUS Program

  • Certified under the EPA WaterSense for New Homes Program

  • Certified under the IBHS Fortified for Safer Living Program

  • Followed the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Quality Management Guidelines

Training Evaluation Form

DOE offers training sessions to teach builders how to build homes to the Zero Energy Ready Home specifications. At each in-person training session, the participants will be asked to complete the paper training evaluation form which DOE will use to improve the training. In some cases training sessions are conducted by outside trainers and not DOE staff or contractors. In these cases, DOE uses the evaluation forms to ensure high quality training as part of the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home program.

Data Items

The training evaluation form asks for the person to answer fifteen questions about the quality of the training session and give his profession, the date, and the location of the training.

Housing Innovation Award Application

Home builders and energy raters who compete for the Housing Innovation Award complete the Housing Innovation Award Application on-line. The annual award program provides publicity for the winners and for the program. Winners will receive recognition at the Housing Innovation Awards Ceremony and their accomplishments will be featured in:

• The U.S. Department of Energy website;

• The Housing Innovation Awards display at the Solar Decathlon Competition Pavilion visited by 100,000's of interested consumers;

• National press and journal articles; and

• Workshops and webinars.

Data Items

The housing innovation application form asks for 25 pieces of information about the builder and the home such as the builder’s name and the size of the home and a narrative description of the following six criteria:

• Land Development;

• Design;

• Performance:

• Quality construction;

• Sales;

• Business Metrics.

Zero Energy Ready Home Tour of Zero Application

Home owners and builders who want to be listed in the Zero Energy Ready Home Parade of Homes complete an on-line form. The awards allow DOE to leverage successful participation in the program while celebrating pioneering energy savers in the market. The Parade of Homes is a recognition effort where people will be informed of the Zero Energy Ready Homes in their neighborhood that they can visit.

Data Items

The Tour of Zero Application form asks for the builder to complete the Zero Energy Ready Home Innovation Award Application and give the following information:

• From the builder, documents showing:

  • Floor plans

  • Elevations

• From the home buyer, answers to the following questions:

  • What made you decide to purchase this home?

  • How would you describe the comfort of this home?

  • What is your favorite energy efficiency feature?

Case Study Form

Similar to the Parade of Homes and Housing Innovation Awards, builders and/or energy raters can request that a case study be created to publicize a DOE Zero Energy Ready Home project. If they desire, they can fill out an electronic form and send this in to DOE Zero Energy Ready Home staff. The form is similar to the Housing Innovation Awards form. Any builder participating in the program with a certified home can participate. DOE will use this data to publicize the successes of the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home.

Data Items

The Case Study Application form requests the same information as for the Housing Innovation Award form.

Training Qualification Form

Energy raters or other energy professionals can serve as trainers for DOE Zero Energy Ready Home training, alleviating the need for DOE staff to travel. In these cases, prospective trainers are asked to submit a training qualification form so that DOE can ensure a minimum level of qualification.

Data Items

The Training Qualification form requests the following information:

• Trainer’s name;

• States covered by the training;

• Organization’s name;

• Trainer’s title;

• Phone number;

• Email address;

• Mailing address;

• A biography of 250 words or less.

Recommended Quality Management Provisions

The DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Quality Management Checklist is a voluntary aspect of the program that may one day be a requirement. Builders who use the Quality Management checklist receive recognition on the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home website. Currently DOE does not collect checklists but does collect information from Verifier Partners that indicates when a builder uses the Quality Management checklist on a home. The checklist does require some documentation as part of the checklist process. Due to the fact that DOE does not collect the actual completed checklist, no time is allotted for DOE review.

Data Items

The Recommended Quality Management Provisions shows what documents DOE says the builders and home owners should maintain to maintain the standards of the Zero Energy Ready Home Program.

Renewable Energy Ready Checklist

The Renewable Energy Ready Checklist is required for homes participating in the program in portions of the country with significant solar resources. These checklists ensure that a home is built ready for photovoltaic or solar hot water systems should a homeowner wish to install these technologies in the future. The actual checklists are not collected by DOE but a copy of the checklist must be provided to the home owner. Since DOE does not collect the actual completed checklist, no time is allotted for DOE review.

Data Items

The Renewable Energy Ready Checklist asks for information about the solar equipment.

Student Home Design Competition

The Zero Energy Ready Home Program has a student home design competition to promote energy efficiency to students. Students who wish to participate complete the competition form. Their designs are posted on the Zero Energy Ready Home web site.

Data Items

The Student Home Design Competition form with the following information:

• Team name;

• Sponsoring school name;

• School’s web site;

• Advisors’ names, email addresses, and phone numbers;

• Students’ names, email addresses, and phone numbers;

• Agreement to use the provided house plans for the Student Home Design Competition;

• Agreement to use the REM/Rate software for the Student Home Design Competition;

• Home designs.

HOME ENERGY SCORE The Home Energy Score allows homeowners to compare the energy performance of their homes to other homes nationwide and provides homeowners with cost-effective recommendations for improving their homes' efficiency. It is similar to a vehicle's mile-per-gallon rating. Homebuyers can use the Score to compare the efficiency of different homes and to get an estimate of how much utility bills are likely to run in a specific house.

DOE partners with state and local governments, utilities, and non-profit organizations across the country to make the Home Energy Score widely available to homeowners. Home Energy Score partners work closely with Assessors who have met prerequisite professional credential requirements and have passed a free DOE test on the Home Energy Score- to implement local programs. DOE, in partnership with Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory, designed the online Scoring Tool (http://homeenergyscore.lbl.gov/) to quickly and affordably assess homes.

To score a home, the process starts when Assessor collects energy information during a brief home walk-through. Once the data has been collected, the assessor enters it into the online scoring tool. The Assessor generates a score on a scale of 1 to 10, with a score of 10 indicating that the home has excellent energy performance. A score of 1 indicates the home needs extensive energy improvements. DOE can access the inputted house data through the Scoring Tool software.

DOE estimates about 15,000 homes will be evaluated in the Home Energy Score program per year with 5% of homes scored twice for quality assurance checks. The program partners do the evaluations under three different scenarios that require different amounts of time and effort to complete the Home Energy Scoring Tool Data Collection Form. One scenario is when the Score is offered to the home owner as part of an energy audit. In this case, not including the time it takes for the Assessor to collect data for the audit, it takes the Assessor about ten minutes to collect very few additional data points to create the Home Energy Score. In another scenario the Score is offered as part of a home inspection where it takes the assessor an additional 30 minutes to collect the data to create the Score. Sometimes the program partners give homeowners a Score without doing either an audit or inspection. In this case, all the collected data is for the purpose of creating a Score. It takes about sixty minutes to collect the data and 30 minutes for the assessor to travel to and from the home.

The HEScore program has the collection activities described below.

File name (Adobe PDF format)	Form Name	First line on top of form and URL if available	DOE Form number
HES_Partnership_Agreement_100814_Dec2014 update for ICR	Partnership Agreement	Home Energy Score Partnership Agreement for Participating Organizations http://energy.gov/eere/buildings/home-energy-score-frequently-asked-questions-partners#8	DOE HQ F 413.26
Home Energy Score Partner Implementation Plan Template 7-28-14_Dec2014 update for ICR	Implementation Plan Template	Home Energy Score Partner Implementation Template http://energy.gov/eere/buildings/home-energy-score-frequently-asked-questions-partners#8	DOE HQ F 413.24
1.2 - Assessor Info Template v 2014 OMB & EE Form version	Assessor Information Collection Form	{Insert Partner Name} Assessor Candidate Info	DOE HQ F 413.27
A5 - Tool Data Collection v 2014 OMB & EE Form version	Home Energy Scoring Tool Data Collection Form	Home Energy Scoring Tool Data Collection Sheet http://energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2015/02/f20/HES_Tool_Data_Collection_022515.pdf	DOE HQ F 413.25
HEScore Data Entry Guidelines (002).pdf	Home Energy Score Data Entry Guidelines	Home Energy Score Data Entry Guidelines	Instruction for DOE HQ F 413.25
This is a non-DOE web site URL, not a form.	Assessor Training and Certification Procedures	Home Energy Score- Qualified Assessor 2015 http://homeenergyscore3dtraining.com/login/index.php	None, not a DOE form

Partners Joining Home Energy Score - Partnership Agreement

HEScore partners are required to submit a Partnership Agreement and Implementation Plan to participate in the program. The Partnership Agreement outlines the partner requirements and is signed by interested organizations that agree to meet the requirements to offer the Home Energy Score. Interested Partners also provide basic contact information in the Partnership Agreement. While the Home Energy Score program is voluntary, DOE requires Partners to agree to score 500 homes a year and meet basic quality assurance requirements. The Partnership Agreement is vital to program participation because partners must agree to meet the program requirements as well as provide DOE with basic contact information to support program operations.

Data Items

The Partnership Agreement asks for the following data items:

• Organization’s name, address, phone number, web site address;

• Name, title, email address, and signature of the primary person to contact.

Partners Joining Home Energy Score Template - Implementation Plan Template

DOE requires new Partners to complete an Implementation Plan template that outlines how each program will implement the Home Energy Score program and complete 500 scores per year. Partners will describe their strategy for overcoming market barriers and ensure program success. DOE reviews the plans and uses the score to assess the viability of the potential partner. Without the Implementation Plans, DOE will not be able to determine how effective their effort will be in promoting the Home Energy Score

Data Items

See the Implementation Plan Template to view its data elements.

Assessor Information Collection Form

Partners are responsible for testing and training interested Assessors to become qualified to score homes. Partners must complete and submit an Assessor Information Collection Form which provides DOE with basic contact and credentialing information, as well as user IDs for the testing site and Scoring Tool. The information is necessary for tracking users’ access to the Scoring Tool and necessary for granting access to the testing site.

Data Items

The Assessor Information Collection Form asks for the following:

• For the Assessor: name and email address, certification type, certification expiration date, program partner, and Assessor OpenID URL (log in identification);

• For the Assessor’s company: name, address, and phone number.

Data Collection - Home Energy Scoring Tool Data Collection Form

Home Energy Score Assessors work with home owners to complete the Home Energy Scoring Tool Data Collection Form from which the Home Energy Score is created. Instructions for the form are in a separate document called Home Energy Score Data Entry Guidelines.

Data Items

See the four page Home Energy Scoring Tool Data Collection Form to view its data elements.

Home Energy Score Data Entry Guidelines

These are instructions for the Home Energy Score Assessors to complete the Home Energy Scoring Tool Data Collection form.

Data Items

See the twelve page Home Energy Score Data Entry GuidelinesForm to view its data elements.

Assessor Training and Certification Procedures

To ensure that scores are calculated consistently, DOE maintains quality assurance requirements for the Home Energy Score program as well as qualification criteria for the individual assessors.

DOE currently relies on third-party professional certifications as a prerequisite for individuals interested in becoming Assessors. To supplement the professional certification requirements, DOE provides free online training and requires assessor candidates to pass its Home Energy Score online test before approving them as Assessors. DOE estimates that it takes about five hours for assessors to study for and take the test.

Data Items

The training certification can be seen at this web address after obtaining login credentials. http://homeenergyscore3dtraining.com/login/index.php

BETTER BUILDINGS RESIDENTIAL NETWORK. The Better Buildings Residential Network (BBRN) is an association of residential energy efficiency programs and partners whose purpose is to share best practices and learn from one another to increase the number of homes that are energy efficient. Network membership is open to all organizations that are committed to accelerating the pace of home energy upgrades.  Membership benefits include peer-exchange calls on issues like workforce partners, marketing and outreach, data and evaluation, financing and revenue generation, multifamily/low-income housing, and program sustainability. In addition, members receive access to program tools, templates, and resources, newsletters and recognition opportunities.

The organizations expected to participate in the Better Buildings Residential Network include financial institutions; Federal, state, and local governments; academic and educational institutions; nonprofit organizations; energy program administrators and implementers; utilities; Home Performance with ENERGY STAR sponsors; Home Energy Score Partners; and other organizations that believe peer sharing will help them improve their effectiveness in encouraging homeowners to complete home energy upgrades.

Partner organizations participate as much or as little as they like, provided they meet the minimum membership commitments. These include a commitment to provide DOE with an annual update of the number of residential energy efficiency upgrades they completed, and to share information about the benefits associated with completed upgrades.

The Better Buildings Residential Program (BBRP) Solution Center, which BBRN members are encouraged to access and use, is an online repository of valuable resources for energy efficiency programs and partners, including case studies, various templates, instructional handbooks, and examples of program best practices. The Solution Center represents a sizable investment in documenting the most effective strategies employed by residential energy efficiency program implementers. DOE is committed to understanding if the Solution Center is proving valuable to its intended stakeholders.

The BBRN has goals of 40 new members and about 20,000 homes with energy efficiency upgrades per year.

The BBRN has the collection activities described below.

File name (MS Word or Excel)	Form Name	First line on top of form and URL of form if available	DOE Form number
ICR_BB_MembershipForm_MASTER_8-21-14_1.5.15	Membership Form	Membership Form, http://energy.gov/eere/better-buildings-residential-network/downloads/better-buildings-residential-network-membership	DOE HQ F 413.16
ICR_Optional Benchmark Metric Data Collection Form_1.5.15	Benchmarking Data Collection Form	Better Buildings Residential Network **Optional** Benchmarking Data Collection Form	DOE HQ F 413.17
Template_2015 Better Buildings Residential Network Reporting Form_0	Annual Progress Form	Reporting and Benefits Template,http://www.energy.gov/eere/better-buildings-residential-network/downloads/better-buildings-residential-network-reporting-0	DOE HQ F 413.18
ICR_BBRP Solution Center_Decision Tool Questionnaire_12-18-14_1.5.15	Better Buildings Residential Program Solution Center Decision Tool Questionnaire	Program and Market Qualities Questionnaire	DOE HQ F 413.19
User Survey, ICR_BBRP Solution Center_Survey_10-15-14_1.5.15	Solution Center Online User Survey	User Survey,	DOE HQ F 413.20
ICR_BBRP Solution Center Rating  Comment Form_12-18-14_1.5.15	The Solution Center Rating & Comment Form	Rating and Comment Form,	DOE HQ F 413.21

The Membership Form

The Membership Form explains the requirements of the BBRN program and gives DOE the basic information it needs to identify the applicant, to understand what type of work the applicant does, to identify the primary point of contact within the organization applying, and to identify the types of information and help that the applicant would be interested in receiving. This information also provides DOE with member contact information and enables DOE to create a profile of the member for website publication. Furthermore, by collecting this information, DOE can provide advice and resources to the partner to make the most of its participation in the program. DOE is able to invite them to the relevant peer sharing calls, connect them to colleagues in other programs who have the same topical interests, and create a web profile for them so other members can find them to offer support and ask questions where they have expertise. Membership information also provides DOE with useful information about the kinds of peer calls members want to participate in, enabling DOE to design targeted event schedules.

Data Items

On the Membership form, people submit the following data items about their organization:

• Type of organization;

• Whether the applicant is a sponsor or partner in other DOE programs;

• Role in the housing market;

• Peer groups of interest;

• Whether DOE may use its logo;

• What topics it wants DOE to address;

• Organization name, person to contact name, title, address, email address, telephone number, fax number, and date.

The Benchmarking Data Collection Form

The Benchmarking Data Collection Form is an optional collection that can be completed as often as the participants like, although DOE expects that they will complete the form no more than four times per year, or once every quarter.

In order to effectively engage customers and achieve energy savings, the most-successful residential energy efficiency programs track their outcomes and costs to continually assess and make adjustments to meet goals. This may involve benchmarking: comparing a program’s current outcomes to past outcomes or to the performance of a comparable peer program. Benchmarking is a valuable tool for setting goals, tracking progress toward achieving policy goals, and ensuring that spending of public funds is done effectively. Although tracking and benchmarking a program’s current outcomes to past outcomes is valuable and common, comparing to peers and aggregating program outcomes within a state, region or nationally is difficult because each program collects program outcomes or costs differently. The Benchmarking Data Collection Form is designed to encourage consistent collection of program costs and outcomes to facilitate the process of benchmarking program performance.

The information collected on the form is primarily for the user’s benefit, and will allow DOE to facilitate the comparison of program results with national average values, or “benchmarks”. This type of analysis will help residential energy efficiency programs understand where to make program improvements to cost efficiently achieve policy goals. The optional benchmarking metrics are based upon stakeholder feedback at conferences and events where DOE has asked grantees what data would be useful for helping programs in goal setting and internal evaluation. Metrics are based upon data that participants are already collecting for their own purposes.

Data Items

The Benchmarking Data Collection Form includes about 65 pieces of information.

The Annual Progress Form

The Annual Progress Form is collected once per year. The one page form contains information that DOE may use to highlight successes and best practices. Collecting this information will help DOE evaluate whether Residential Network members are benefiting from their access to DOE and partner resources by tracking reported upgrades year over year. Programs that realize exceptional annual results may be showcased in residential network peer-exchange calls and on DOE websites as models for other programs to consider following as they also strive for realized energy savings.

By collecting this information, DOE will have a more complete understanding of the current residential energy efficiency marketplace. As the national agency charged with energy expertise, DOE is routinely called upon to provide snapshots of the industry, which exist in various forms, but none focused only on residential energy upgrades. Collecting annual progress data from the most active programs across the country will enable a better market understanding – which leads to greater understanding of areas where successful strategies may be underway and should be amplified to help others, and also where there are barriers that DOE can help overcome.

Data Items

The Annual Progress Form asks for the organization name, date, number of upgrades completed, reporting period, types of upgrades completed, and a summary of benefits of the upgrades.

Better Buildings Residential Program Solution Center Decision Tool Questionnaire

BBRP Solution Center Decision Tool Questionnaire for a Customized Experience will be an optional questionnaire for users looking for a more customized experience using the Better Buildings Residential Program solution Center website. The questionnaire information will give DOE the ability to customize content and make resource recommendations for users, enhancing their Solution Center experience. This optional information request is based upon early stakeholder feedback at recent conferences and in webinars where the Solution Center was demonstrated. Users have told DOE that they want the ability to be directed to relevant content. Information from this optional questionnaire will give DOE the capability. This questionnaire will be automated and integrated into the Solution Center website but is not a requirement for accessing the Solution Center.

Data Items

The Decision Tool Questionnaire will ask for the user’s target market, maturity of the market, primary source of revenue, types of organization that administers the user’s program, and age of the user’s program.

The Solution Center Online User Survey

The Solution Center User Survey will be collected once from each user and will be used to gather information that can help DOE determine if the Solution Center is providing information as intended to help users establish and implement successful energy efficiency programs by to helping programs avoid past mistakes, and encouraging the use of best practices. The survey will determine level of awareness of the Solution Center website, experience with use of the website, and to what extent users have changed their behavior as a result of the information found in the website. The survey will also be used to collect feedback on content, layout, and functionality, so DOE can consider changes that would enhance the usability of the Solution Center

Data Items

The Solution Center User Survey asks fifteen questions about the user’s opinion of the Solution Center and its usefulness.

The Solution Center Rating & Comment Form

The Solution Center Rating & Comment Form will be an optional feature that allows users to rate and/or comment on content based upon how useful they find it, once the user logs into the solution Center. The rating scale will probably be on a 1-5 star scale similar to an online shopping website. The intent of this functionality is to give users an ability to provide feedback on content they use which allows them to engage with the site and help others. Content receiving high ratings can highlighted in the Solution Center, making it easier for users to identify helpful materials. Users can read the comments that other users leave behind. Users can share with other users what they did and did not find useful in a particular piece of content. This information will also help DOE identify which content users find unhelpful, based upon consistent low ratings and comments. With this knowledge, DOE can proactively remove or revise such content and/or develop new content that meets users’ stated needs. .

Data Items

The Solution Center Rating & Comment Form asks for the following information: username (does not have to be a person’s name), user’s email address, the title or URL of the resource and a rating from one to five on how helpful the resource is and/or comments about the resource.

Optional Solution Center Example Submissions

This function will allow users to submit their own documents for inclusion in the Solution Center. Submissions will be limited to documents that provide useful, replicable examples of program activities. For DOE to develop all material would be very costly, potentially duplicative of existing resources, and would place burdens on our stakeholders since we would likely reach out to them for assistance. By giving Solution Center users the option of adding relevant material, many of whom already have this material on file, DOE is being cost conscious while cultivating an environment of cooperation and collaboration. Furthermore, material provided by Solution Center users will be of higher value since these will be field tested examples. The DOE will be responsible for reviewing and approving all submissions before they are made publically available.

Data Items

. Participants will submit information voluntarily and this information will vary greatly.

HOME PERFORMANCE WITH ENERGY STAR. The Home Performance with ENERGY STAR (HpwES) program provides homeowners with resources to identify trusted contractors that can help them understand their home's energy use, as well as identify home improvements that increase energy performance and improve comfort. Participating contractors can recommend and perform energy improvements, such as air sealing, insulation that can fix drafty and uncomfortable rooms, and install high efficiency heating and cooling equipment. These improvements can lower utility bills. Contractors that participate in HPwES are qualified by local sponsors such as utilities, state energy offices, and other organizations to ensure that they can offer high-quality, comprehensive energy assessments (also known as "energy audits") using sophisticated equipment to diagnose a home's energy, health, and safety issues. HPwES is unique because local sponsors independently verify the quality of participating contractors' work. As a result, homeowners can feel confident in their contractor's recommendations and in the effectiveness of the work they are paying for.

The organizations that decide to participate in the HpwES program are state or local government energy offices or agencies, utilities, clean energy non-profits with existing residential energy programs, and industry trade groups.

DOE’s goals for HPwES are 20% market share of energy efficiency related home improvements by 2030 equaling roughly one million projects per year.

The HPwES program will collect information using the collection instruments and activities described below through the HPwES web site. Some are required for full participation in the program while others are optional.

File name (Adobe PDF format)	Form Name	First line on top of form and URLof from if available	DOE Form number
EEPS_Partnership_Agreement (2)	Partnership Agreement	Instructions for Partnering with ENERGY STAR® As an Energy Efficiency Program Sponsor https://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=home_improvement.hpwes_sponsors_prtnr_templates	DOE HQ F 413.28
HPwES Sponsor Implementation Plan Template_052314	Implementation Plan Template	Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Implementation Plan Template for Prospective Program Sponsors https://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=home_improvement.hpwes_sponsors_prtnr_templates	DOE HQ F 413.29
Quarterly_Reporting_Template_2014_Q1	HPwES Sponsor Quarterly Reporting Template	HPwES Sponsor Implementation Plan Template_052314 https://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=home_improvement.hpwes_sponsors_prtnr_templates	DOE HQ F 413.30
HPwES_Annual_Report_2014	HPwES Sponsor Annual Reporting Template	About the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Annual Report https://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=home_improvement.hpwes_sponsors_prtnr_templates	DOE HQ F 413.31
2015 POY Program Delivery App_HPwES 7-16_0	Partner of the Year Application Template	2015 ENERGY STAR® POY Award Application for Energy Efficiency Program Delivery http://www.energystar.gov/about/awards/2016-energy-star-awards-applications	DOE HQ F 413.32
POY2016_HPwESContractoroftheYear_MK	Contractor of the Year Application Template	2016 ENERGY STAR® POY, Contractor of the Year – Home Performance with ENERGY STAR® Program http://www.energystar.gov/about/awards/2016-energy-star-awards-applications	DOE HQ F 413.33

Partnership Agreement Form

Organizations can join the HPwES program by registering on-line. Registering is done by submitting basic contact information and reading the partnership agreement. The Agreement explains the requirements of the program. The information that is collected through the registration form is needed for DOE to be able communicate with the partners and to categorize partners so DOE can target outreach, appropriately assist partners, and analyze participation.

Data Items

People submit the following data items on the registration form: Persons’ names, Titles, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, web site addresses and ENERGY STAR areas of interest.

Implementation Plan Template

New Partners complete an Implementation Plan template that outlines how each program will design and execute their HPwES program. Partners will provide general contact information, budget and goals, details of their program design, how they work with their contractors, how they ensure program quality, and their marketing strategy. DOE reviews the plans to assess the viability of the potential partner. Without the Implementation Plans, DOE will not be able to determine how effective their effort will be in implementing and promoting HPwES.

Data Items

See the Implementation Plan Template for its data elements.

HPwES Sponsor Quarterly Reporting Template. DOE collects quarterly reports to keep track of the progress of program participants. Partners describe how many contractors, inspections, and projects they completed.

Data Items

See the HPwES Sponsor Quarterly Reporting Template for its data elements.

HPwES Sponsor Annual Reporting Template. The Annual Reporting Template is collected once per year to verify compliance with program requirements and help DOE support program growth. Partners provide such information about the number of home assessments they have done.

Data Items

See the HPwES Sponsor Annual Reporting Template for its data elements.

Partner of the Year Application Template. Partners who want to distinguish themselves in the housing energy efficiency market may apply for the Partner of the Year award. This award recognizes organizations that have demonstrated leadership and best practices in implementing energy efficiency program and/or program portfolios that incorporate ENERGY STAR as a key strategy. Winners will receive recognition at the ENERGY STAR Awards Ceremony and in other venues. Their accomplishments will be featured on the ENERGY STAR website and in press releases and other publications:

Data Items

See the Partner of the Year Application Template for its data elements. The application asks for a description, in both qualitative and quantitative terms, of the organization’s accomplishments.

Contractor of the Year Award Application

HPwES Participating Contractors who compete for the Contractor of the Year Award complete the Contractor of the Year Award Application through the ENERGY STAR website. The annual award program provides publicity for the winners and for the program. Winners will receive recognition at the Housing Innovation Awards Ceremony and the ACI national Home Performance Conference and their accomplishments will be featured in:

• The U.S. Department of Energy website;

• The ENERGY STAR website

• The Contractor of the Year Awards display at the Solar Decathlon Competition Pavilion visited by 100,000's of interested consumers;

• National press and journal articles; and

• Workshops and webinars.

Data Items

The Contractor of the Year application form asks for information about the contractors. Plainly noted on the application is the notice that the information provided is subject to Freedom of Information Act requests and advises applicants to clearly mark information considered as proprietary on the form.

An application package includes:

Organization’s name, address, web address, primary contact’s name, title, email address, phone, and fax sponsor’s contact information, description of the type of company, number of home performance assessments, number of completed projects, assessment to upgrade conversion rate, annual growth in completed projects, total energy savings, energy savings per project, % of employees engaged in home performance activities, % of company sales attributed to home performance, average home performance cost and a description, in both qualitative and quantitative terms, of the organization’s contributions in promoting ENERGY STAR in the residential section. This includes examples of their business models, depth of energy savings, sales process, efforts to advance the home performance industry at local and national levels, project volume, customer satisfaction, and verified energy savings.

3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

To reduce burden, DOE will collect much information electronically, by email, and through internet web sites. The collection requests can also be submitted by postal mail for people who prefer that method. Many can be submitted by facsimile, in-person, and by phone. DOE expects in-person and phone submittals to be rare. When people wish to give information requested on a form by phone or in-person DOE will use the particular form as the script for conversation. The collection requests do not require a specific collection technique be used. More detailed information about how information is collected for each program can be found in the answers to questions 4 and 5.

ZERO ENERGY READY HOME PROGRAM

Wherever possible, the Zero Energy Ready Home program uses systems that automatically populate forms with previously gathered information which minimizes the amount of time needed to submit information. All the participants in the program use computer software tools to create home ratings. To submit information to DOE for the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Verification Summary, the Home Energy Rating System Index software automatically takes the previously collected data and completes the form for the user. Without the software, it would take the participant about 15 minutes to complete the form for DOE. The largest reporting burden for the Zero Energy Ready Home program is the Zero Energy Ready Home Registry Report.

HOME ENERGY SCORE

All the collection activities for Home Energy Score are automated and electronic.

BETTER BUILDINGS RESIDENTIAL NETWORK

Wherever possible, the Better Buildings Residential Network and Solution Center will use systems that automatically populate forms with previously gathered information which minimizes the amount of time needed to submit information. Specifically, information collected about users on either the Residential Network membership form or Solution Center User Profile Customized Experience addendum can be used to auto-populate online-profiles in both websites.

HOME PERFORMANCE WITH ENERGY STAR

Wherever possible, the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program will use systems that automatically populate templates with previously gathered information which minimizes the amount of time needed to submit information. All responses are submitted electronically through email or web-based systems. To illustrate this point, DOE has published an HPXML Implementation Guide to assist programs adopt a common data taxonomy and transfer protocol in order to ease the burden of multiple data entries for the same information by Sponsor contractors and associated stakeholders.

4. Describe efforts to identify duplication.

The ZERH Program and HPwES Program both work closely with EPA’s ENERGY STAR programs. Where there is overlap in the programs and the participants in these two DOE programs submit information to EPA, DOE always uses the same information the participants submit to EPA and does not ask participants to submit the same checklists to DOE that they already submitted to EPA.

EPA manages the database for the ENERGY STAR program and the DOE HPwES program has access to it and coordinates with EPA.

The DOE HPwES Program operates an award and recognition program in conjunction with EPA’s ENERGY STAR Programs. Participants in the award program need apply only one time to both EPA and DOE. The two forms that are part of the Energy Star awards are the Partner of the Year Application Template and the Contractor of the Year Application Template.

In the case of the ZERH program, DOE requires participation in the EPA Indoor airPLUS Program and Energy Star 3.0 for New Home Program as a prerequisite. DOE asks participants only to say if they comply with those EPA requirements and does not ask for the information that the participants gave to EPA.

Except for registering with the programs where participants submit basic corporate contact information, the coordination with EPA is not duplicative. The information DOE requests has not been collected by DOE or other federal agencies. There are no other databases that collect this information.

For the HPwES program where DOE is taking over from EPA, both organizations agreed to a formal program transition date, agreed to publicize it to all stakeholders and participants, agreed to meet regularly during the transition, and agreed to ensure that any communications from program participants to EPA would be forwarded to DOE with the participants reminded that DOE is the organization they should contact.

5. If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities, describe any methods used to minimize burden.

Electronic collection and reporting of data will minimize the impact on small entities. All of today’s small entities have the computer and web-based equipment and systems and knowledge of how to use them to submit the requested information. None of the information collection activities will require specialized equipment or training. DOE and its representatives will be available to discuss difficulties in submitting information and can collect the information by regular mail when necessary.

For the Zero Energy Ready Home program, the majority of information responses to DOE will be home energy ratings submitted by home energy raters using the DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Verification Summary form. The raters will use software they already own that automatically generates the Summary. The home energy rating industry exists apart from DOE and in order to maximize efficiency DOE worked with the industry so that the information they already collect can be easily reported to DOE. DOE believes that zero organizations participating with the Zero Energy Ready Home program will purchase the software for the sake of participating in the ZERH program.

6. Describe the consequence to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.

To be successfully implemented, the programs require the collection of some unique and specific participant information. DOE is requesting the minimum level of information required to fully support and implement the programs. If this information were to not be collected, the Zero Energy Ready Home Program, the Home Energy Score Program, Better Buildings Residential Network, and the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program could not exist. The goals and purpose of these programs are described in the answer to question 2 above.

These programs assist in the implementation of two governing statutes applicable to DOE. The DOE Organization Act of 1977 authorizes energy conservation functions, including development of comprehensive energy conservation strategies for the Nation, planning and implementation of major R&D programs for development of technologies and processes to reduce total energy use, administration of voluntary and mandatory energy conservation programs, dissemination to public of all available information on energy conservation programs and measures. Under EPACT 2005, subtitle A, Section 911 (a)(2)(B):Programs under this subtitle shall include research, development , demonstration, and commercial application of cost-effective technologies, for new construction and retrofit, to improve the energy efficiency and environmental performance of buildings, using a whole buildings approach, including onsite renewable energy generation.

The programs described within this ICR are directed toward two of the goals of these two statutes: the commercial application of cost-effective technologies in new and existing homes as well as the administration of voluntary energy conservation programs.

Further needs for each collection instrument are described below.

ZERO ENERGY READY HOME PROGRAM.

Registration and Partner Agreement Forms,

The Partner Agreements are submitted to DOE one time per partner; less frequent collection is not possible.

Zero Energy Ready Home Registry Report

This information constitutes the largest reporting burden for the Zero Energy Ready Home program and is reported for each of the 1,500 to 5,000 homes per year. DOE needs the data from every home to ensure the quality of the homes and to analyze program achievements, including energy savings and energy cost savings. Less frequent collection would hinder DOE’s ability to verify the energy efficiency of each home and would have a negative influence on the Zero Energy Ready Home’s brand value as a symbol for energy efficiency. The very large variations in design, size, and energy use among homes make it difficult to sample fewer homes and use statistical analysis to accurately understand all homes.

Training Evaluation Form

If DOE asks for the information less frequently the training sessions will be less effective resulting in more time needed for program participants and DOE to interact to understand how to best participate in the program.

Housing Innovation Award Application

DOE collects this information annually. Less frequent collection would prevent DOE from obtaining current information and would prevent DOE from providing annual public recognition to outstanding partners.

Zero Energy Ready Home Parade of Homes Application

Like the Housing Innovation Award collection, DOE’s ability to publicize the program and provide public recognition to outstanding partners would be lessened if home owners did not voluntarily participate in the Parade of Homes.

Case Study Form

Similar to the Parade of Homes and Housing Innovation Awards, if DOE does not collect this information and the other information it uses for publicity for the program, DOE will be less likely to grow, succeed, and meet Zero Energy Ready Home, DOE, and national goals of transforming the building market, and reducing energy use.

Utility Bill Submission

DOE would be less able to to ensure the quality of the homes and to analyze true energy savings and energy cost savings without the energy information from utility bills.

Training Qualification Form

The Training Qualification Forms are submitted to DOE one time per partner. The forms are needed so that DOE can ensure a minimum level of qualification. If DOE does not know the capabilities of the trainers, the training sessions may result in poor training and unqualified homes constructed.

Student Home Design Competition

The information for the Student Home Design Competition is submitted to DOE one time per annual competition; less frequent collection would limit the competition to a less frequent event.

Recommended Quality Management Provisions

The DOE Zero Energy Ready Home Quality Management Checklist is a voluntary aspect of the program that may one day be a requirement. Currently DOE does not collect checklists but does collect information from Verifier Partners that indicates when a builder uses the Quality Management checklist on a home. The quality of construction of homes is very important to the success of the program. The checklists outline how to make high quality homes and DOE’s knowledge of the use of the checklists allows DOE ensure the quality of homes for a successful program.

Renewable Energy Ready Checklist

DOE does not collect the completed checklists but, like the Quality Management Checklist, use of the Renewable Energy Ready Checklist ensures that the home was constructed properly to high quality standards.

HOME ENERGY SCORE

Partnership Agreement

The Partnership Agreements are submitted to DOE one time per partner; less frequent collection is not possible.

Implementation Plan

The Implementation Plans are submitted to DOE one time per Partner; less frequent collection is not possible.

Assessor Information Collection Form

The Assessors complete this form once upon joining the program. The program partners submit the lists of new assessors to DOE only once. Less frequent collection is not possible.

Home Energy Scoring Tool Data Collection Form

DOE collects data on the Home Energy Scoring Tool Data Collection Forms once per home so less frequent collection is not possible.

Home Energy Score Data Entry Guidelines

This form helps ensure that scores are calculated consistently and teaches the Assessors how to do the job.

Assessor Training and Certification Procedures

The professionals who conduct the Home Energy Scores take one training session and pass one test. This helps ensure that scores are calculated consistently and teaches the Assessors how to do the job.

BETTER BUILDINGS RESIDENTIAL NETWORK.

The Membership Form

The Membership Forms are submitted to DOE one time per partner; less frequent collection is not possible. Without a membership form, DOE cannot operate this program.

The Benchmarking Data Collection Form

DOE’s ability to facilitate residential energy efficiency program benchmarking would be hindered without the program outcome and cost date requested on the form. Participants decide how often they will submit information to DOE through the Benchmarking Data Collection Form.

The Annual Progress Form

If DOE does not collect this information the program will be unable to measure DOE’s impact and that of its member partners. In addition, DOE will not have national or local market insights that prove valuable when trying to help other programs succeed. Collection will be once per year; less frequent collection is not feasible for tracking trends and results.

BBRP Solution Center Decision Tool Questionnaire

Solution Center users decide what information they will submit through the Decision Tool Questionnaire.

The Solution Center User Survey

This information will give DOE the opportunity to use direct feedback to improve Solution Center content, design, and functionality. DOE will conduct the survey once per year; less frequent collection will not offer feedback in a timely manner.

Without this information, DOE will have to rely on intuition without actual, quantitative, and qualitative information directly from customers. The result could mean wasted time, missed opportunities, and unhappy program participants.

This data request originated with the Office of Management and Budget’s request to demonstrate the value of DOE programs, and to highlight the relative value of energy efficiency investments.

The Solution Center Rating & Comment Form

This information will help DOE identify which content users find helpful and should promote and which content users find unhelpful and should remove, based upon consistent ratings and comments. Program participants decide how often to complete the Solution Center Rating & Comment Form.

The Optional Solution Center Example Submissions

The Solution Center Example Submissions are an important part of keeping the Solution Center current, relevant, and high value for users. DOE’s ability to operate the program would be hindered without it. Users decide how often they will submit information to DOE, requesting its inclusion.

HOME PERFORMANCE WITH ENERGY STAR.

Partnership Agreement Template

The Membership Template s are submitted to DOE one time per partner; less frequent collection is not possible. Without a membership form, DOE cannot operate this program.

Implementation Plan Template

The Implementation Plans are submitted to DOE one time per Partner; less frequent collection is not possible.

HPwES Sponsor Quarterly Reporting Template. Quarterly reports are reported quarterly to enable DOE to monitor: Sponsors’ progress in delivering projects; Sponsors’ compliance with DOE’s quality assurance requirements; and Participating Contractors’ status as active, probationary, or inactive. Less frequent collection of this data would result in less accurate lists of contractors who have access to and permission to use the ENERGY STAR brand.

HPwES Sponsor Annual Reporting Template If DOE does not collect this information the program will be unable to measure DOE’s impact and that of its member partners. Furthermore, this information aides DOE in evaluating Sponsors’ compliance with program requirements. In addition, collection will be once per year; less frequent collection is not feasible for tracking trends and results.

Partner of the Year Application Template. The information for the Partner of the Year award is submitted to DOE one time per annual competition; less frequent collection would limit the competition to a less frequent event.

Contractor of the Year Award Application

DOE collects this information one time per annual competition. Less frequent collection would prevent DOE from obtaining current information and would prevent DOE from providing annual public recognition to outstanding contractors.

7. Explain any special circumstances that require the collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with OMB guidelines. (a) requiring respondents to report information to the agency more often than quarterly; (b) requiring respondents to prepare a written response to a collection of information in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it; (c) requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any document; (d) requiring respondents to retain records, other than health, medical government contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records, for more than three years; (e) in connection with a statistical survey, that is not designed to product valid and reliable results that can be generalized to the universe of study; (f) requiring the use of statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB; (g) that includes a pledge of confidentially that is not supported by authority established in stature of regulation, that is not supported by disclosure and data security policies that are consistent with the pledge, or which unnecessarily impedes sharing of data with other agencies for compatible confidential use; (h) requiring respondents to submit proprietary trade secrets, or other confidential information unless the agency can demonstrate that it has instituted procedures to protect the information’s confidentiality to the extent permitted by law.

There are no inconsistencies with the OMB guidelines.

8. If applicable, provide a copy and identify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the agency’s notice, required by 5CFR 320.8(d), soliciting comments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB. Summarize public comments received in response to that notice and describe actions taken in response to the comments. Specifically address comments received on cost and hour burden. Describe efforts to consult with persons outside DOE to obtain their views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and recordkeeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or report.

The Department published three notices in the Federal Register soliciting comments on the information collection and received no comments. The notices are described below.

The Department published a 60 day Federal Register Notice and request for comment on May 15, 2014 (volume 79, number 94, and page number 27867. The notice described the collection and invited interested parties to submit comments or recommendations regarding the collection. No comments were received.

The Department published a 30 day Federal Register Notice and request for comment on May 20, 2015 (volume 80, number 97, and page number 28988). The notice described the collection and invited interested parties to submit comments or recommendations regarding the collection. No comments were received.

In the 30 day FR notice, however, DOE changed the scope of the ICR that was described in that 60 day FR Notice. DOE changed it in two significant ways. First, DOE removed the activities described in that ICR FR notice that are related to the Building America Program’s regarding collection of information from citizens about the Building America Solution Center. Second, DOE added to the ICR activities associated with the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program. The changes in the burden estimates that result from these changes in the scope of the ICR are described in other places in this Supporting Statement.

The inclusion of the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program is necessary to allow the operation and control of the Program to move from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the Department of Energy. EPA received OMB approval to collection information for the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Program on August 14, 2014. OMB gave it the ICR Control Number 2060-0586. There are 3 Information Collections associated with that control number.  In place of EPA, DOE wants to collect the information. EPA did not receive any comments in either the 30 or 60 day FR Notices for that ICR. EPA is expected to inform OMB of their reduction in burden hours associated with the transfer of that Information Collection to DOE.

There are other minor changes from what was described in the 60 day FR Notice. The name of one of the Programs changed from the Challenge Home Program to the Zero Energy Ready home Program. Also, DOE removed an activity for the Better Buildings Residential Network where people would have been surveyed about their opinion of the Better Buildings Solution Center. This reduced the burden hours by 117 hours.

Since these changes that were fully described in the 30 day notice were not described in the 60 day FR notice, DOE published another FR notice describing the changes. DOE published the 15 day FR Notice on October 26, 2015 (Vol. 80, No. 206, page number 65222) and received no comments.

ZERO ENERGY READY HOME PROGRAM

Based on past operations of the programs and similar programs DOE staff running the Zero Energy Ready Home Program have a good understanding of how long it takes and how much it costs to complete the information collection activities and was able to accurately estimate how much time and effort it takes participants to complete the activities. The response information is based on EPA’s ENERGY STAR Program for Homes. The Program coordinators have frequent meetings and phone calls with partners where aspects of the programs are discussed including how to effectively submit information to DOE.

HOME ENERGY SCORE

The Home Energy Score program coordinators also have had and will continue to have frequent meetings, individual phone calls, and conference calls with the partners that participate in the programs where aspects of the programs are discussed including how to operate the programs most effectively and where submitting information to DOE can be discussed. The Home Energy Score program polled several of its potential partners about time invested to complete Implementation Plan and Partnership Agreement during one of its monthly webinars for program partners.

BETTER BUILDINGS RESIDENTIAL NETWORK

The Better Buildings Residential Network and BBRP Solution Center has polled its partners to receive comment on the accuracy of the cost and hour burden estimates and their views on the data collections.

HOME PERFORMANCE WITH ENERGY STAR.

The HPwES program has polled a limited set of its partners to receive comment on the accuracy of the cost and hour burden estimates and their views on the data collections.

9. Explain any decision to provide any payment or gift to respondents, other than renumeration of contractors or grantees.

DOE will give no payments or gifts to respondents.

10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.

DOE does not collect sensitive information such as medical information or social security numbers. The personally identifiable information that DOE collects are business contact information, names, and addresses. All the requests for information are voluntary; people and organizations may decline to participate. DOE will aggregate the data when reporting it to ensure that no individual organization or person can be identified.  HPwES publishes a table on a quarterly basis that conveys the total projects each Sponsor reports to DOE for that quarter. DOE does not publish the personally identifiable information of home owners and does obtain company permission before using any data or information in case studies and other publications. All DOE employees take Privacy Act training. Contractors are involved with handling the information. Privacy Act clauses are included in their contracts. Only approved DOE employees and contractors who have a clear need will access and see the information. DOE’s Records Management Program, DOE Order 243.1B, sets the requirements for records management, including maintaining confidentiality.

When responding to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Requests DOE is careful to remove personally identifiable information from the information that is released in accordance with exemption 6 in the FOIA Act. Information releases are reviewed by DOE employees trained in FOIA and law.

11. Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private. This justification should include the reasons why DOE considers the questions necessary, the specific uses to be made of the information, the explanation to be given to persons from whom the information is requested, and any steps to be taken to obtain their consent.

There are no forms or surveys in this package that involve questions of a sensitive, personal, or private nature.

12. Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information. The statement should indicate the number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated. Unless directed to do so, DOE should not conduct special surveys to obtain information on which to base hour burden estimates. Consultation with a sample fewer than 10 potential respondents is desirable.

For the four Programs for Improving Energy Efficiency in Residential Buildings and the Energy Consumption Survey, the estimate of hour burden of the information collection is as follows:

• Total number of unduplicated respondents: 11,585

• Reports filed per person: 4.1 average

• Total annual responses: 46,759

• Total annual burden hours: 22,859

Average Burden Per Collection: 29 minutes

Average Burden Per Applicant: 1 hour, 59 minutes

Of the estimated 11,585 unduplicated respondents, DOE estimates that about 10,862 would be from individuals or households, 384 would be from for profit organizations, 130 would be from not for profit organizations and 209 would be from state, local or tribal governments.

ZERO ENERGY READY HOME PROGRAM

• Total number of unduplicated respondents: 278

• Total annual responses: 9060

• Total annual burden hours: 7804

The table below gives details on how these amounts were determined. 

HOME ENERGY SCORE PROGRAM

• Total number of unduplicated respondents: 11,057

• Total annual responses: 31,810

• Total annual burden hours: 10,240

The table below gives details on how these amounts were determined.

BETTER BUILDINGS RESIDENTIAL NETWORK

• Total number of unduplicated respondents: 200

• Total annual responses: 5600

• Total annual burden hours: 3888

The table below gives details on how these amounts were determined. 

HOME PERFORMANCE WITH ENERGY STAR

• Total number of unduplicated respondents: 50

• Total annual responses: 289

• Total annual burden hours: 927

The table below gives details on how these amounts were determined.

13. Provide an estimate for the total annual cost burden to respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the collection of information.

DOE estimates there are no capital, startup, or operating and maintenance costs for respondents to collect and send the information to DOE. DOE believes that respondents use computer equipment and software that are customary and usual business practice to have and that these are not additional costs associated with the information collection. DOE monetized the time that respondents are estimated to need to complete the survey at $1,080,558. The breakout for each program is as follows: $382,964 for the Zero Energy Ready Home Program, $485,471 for the Home Energy Score Program, and $180,111 for the Better Buildings Residential Network, and $32,012 for the Home Performance with Energy Start Program.

14. Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government.

The annual cost to the Federal government resulting from the collection of information for the three Programs for Improving Energy Efficiency in Residential Buildings is estimated to be about $218,220. The cost is all for the government time to review the data received for completeness and accuracy.

ZERO ENERGY READY HOME PROGRAM. The annual cost to the Federal government resulting from the collection of information for the Zero Energy Ready Home program is estimated to be about $56,486

HOME ENERGY SCORE PROGRAM. The annual cost to the Federal government resulting from the collection of information for the Home Energy Score program is estimated to be about $20,514.

BETTER BUILDINGS RESIDENTIAL NETWORK. The annual cost to the Federal government resulting from the collection of information for the Better Buildings Residential Network is estimated to be about $112,939. 

HOME PERFORMANCE WITH ENERGY STAR

The annual cost to the Federal government resulting from the collection of information for the Home Energy Score program is estimated to be about $9,812.

15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported in Items 13 (or 14) of OMB Form 83-I.

This collection is a new request, therefore there are no changes or adjustments to report.

16. For collections whose results will be published, outline the plans for tabulation and publication.

DOE does not intend to do any complex statistical analysis of the data it collects. DOE publicizes the success of the four programs in various venues such as web pages, email newsletters, and press releases for the public. The HPwES program does identify correlations and trends and reports them to stakeholders through presentations, webinars and the website.

When DOE publishes case studies for the purpose of promoting the ZERH Program, DOE does not publish personally identifiable information of the homeowners with the case studies. DOE uses the case studies to give positive recognition to builders participating in the program and to publicize the type of homes that are being built under the program. These builders do give DOE permission to publish their names and contact information and often promote the case studies themselves for positive marketing.

17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons why display would be inappropriate.

DOE is not seeking approval to not display expiration dates.

18. Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in Item 19 of OMB Form 83-I.

DOE has no exceptions to the certification statement in Item 19.

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