2024 RECS ESS_Respondent_Contact Materials

2024 Residential Energy Consumption Survey
Energy Supplier Survey
Contact Materials

1. Advance Email

TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:

{ESS CONTACT’S EMAIL ADDRESS}
[email protected]
Upcoming EIA Survey (RECS ESS)

Dear {CONTACT FIRST NAME} {CONTACT LAST NAME}:
In 2020-2021, you coordinated your company’s response to the Energy Supplier Survey (ESS) conducted
by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the statistical and analytical agency within the U.S.
Department of Energy. The last ESS collected monthly energy usage and cost information about some of
your commercial customers. EIA is now conducting a comparable study of residential customers. These
customers are households that participated in the 2024 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS)
and named your company as their energy supplier.
We would like to check whether you will be the primary contact to report energy usage for your
company’s residential customers.
Please respond to this email to either: a) confirm you will serve as the contact person again and provide
the best phone number at which to reach you currently, or b) provide the name, telephone number, and
email address for the new contact person.
Once we identify the contact person an ESS specialist from [Contractor Name], our contractor for this
data collection, will call with further information on how to respond. If you have any questions right
away, please don’t hesitate to call [Contractor Name]’s toll-free ESS helpdesk at 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX. We
have partnered with them to support you throughout this study.
Thank you in advance for your timely response.
Sincerely,
Charles Ian Mead
Director, Office of Energy Demand and Integrated Statistics
U.S. Energy Information Administration
{SUPPLIERID}

2. Introductory Letter

{Supplier Name}
{Street address 1}
{Street address 2}
{City, state, zip}

{Date}

Dear {FirstName} {LastName}:
I am following up on your recent conversation with staff from XXXX, our contractor for the 2024 Residential
Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) Energy Supplier Survey (ESS), a congressionally mandated study
of residential energy usage being conducted by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the
statistical and analytical agency within the U.S. Department of Energy.
We are contacting you because one or more households who participated in our 2024 RECS named your
company as their energy supplier. The RECS ESS collects energy usage and cost records for those households
for the 20-month period from September 2023 to April 2025.
While this is a mandatory reporting requirement authorized by Federal Law (Public Law 93-275), we hope
that you see the value in making the RECS data series as timely and accurate as possible. More information
about the laws and citations related to RECS are provided at the end of this letter and on the survey website.
We strongly encourage electronic data reporting through our secure website. On the RECS ESS website, you
will be able to access a list of your customers who participated in the RECS. You can select one of three options
to submit the requested data for your selected customers: an online web form, a downloadable and ready-touse spreadsheet, or forms you can print and submit by mail or fax.
To access the RECS ESS website, you will need two unique login credentials: your secure user ID and
your password. Your username is below.
Website: [URL]
Username: {User ID}
For security reasons, your password will be sent via email; you should receive it soon after this letter
arrives. If you do not receive the password email, please contact XXXX as soon as possible at the email
address or toll-free number below.
The due date to complete the 2024 RECS ESS is {DUE DATE}.
Support specialists from XXXX stand ready to assist you on the RECS ESS helpdesk at 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX,
or via email at [Contractor’s Email]. You may also contact EIA directly by calling or emailing XXXX XXXX,
the RECS Survey Manager, at 202-XXX-XXXX or [email protected].
Your participation is vital to the continued success of this program. Thank you again. We greatly appreciate
your support for this study.
Sincerely,

Charles Ian Mead
Director, Office of Energy Demand and Integrated Statistics
U.S. Energy Information Administration
{SUPPLIER ID}

AUTHORIZING LEGISLATION
The Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) is authorized under the Federal Energy Administration Act of
1974 (Public Law 93-275), as amended, and the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-486). RECS is sponsored
by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the statistical and analytical agency within the U.S. Department
of Energy.
CONFIDENTIALITY

This study is conducted under the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA) of 2018
(Public Law 107-347). Data collected under the provisions of this legislation are required to be kept confidential and to
be used only for statistical purposes (i.e., characterizations for population subgroups that do not reveal any information
that could identify individual responses). EIA, as the sponsoring organization for the RECS, is responsible for assuring
that all identifying information such as a respondent’s address is kept confidential and cannot be linked to energy usage
and cost data collected in the RECS.
MANDATORY REPORTING

The RECS Energy Supplier Survey (Forms EIA-457 D-G) is mandatory under Section 13(b) of the Federal Energy
Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-275), as amended. Failure to respond may result in a civil penalty of not
more than $10,633 each day for each violation. The government may bring a civil action to prohibit reporting violations
which may result in a temporary restraining order or a preliminary or permanent injunction without bond. In such civil
action, the court may also issue mandatory injunctions commanding any person to comply with these reporting
requirements.
OMB CONTROL NUMBER and PUBLIC REPORTING BURDEN
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number for this data collection is 1905-0092. An agency may not
conduct an information collection request unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. The reporting
burden on the public for this collection of information is estimated to average 10 minutes per case. Send comments
regarding the public reporting burden or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for
reducing this burden, to [email protected].

3. Password Email

TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:

{CONTACT’S EMAIL ADDRESS}
[email protected]
EIA Survey Password (RECS ESS)

Dear {FirstName} {LastName}:
You should have already received a FedEx envelope and an email message with information about the
2024 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) Energy Supplier Survey (ESS) being conducted by
the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). This email provides your password to access the
secure RECS ESS website. The website includes a list of customer addresses and instructions on how to
submit the requested data.
To access the RECS ESS website, you will need two unique login credentials: your secure username
and your password. Your password is below.
Website: [URL]
Password: {Password}
If you have not received the letter with your username, please contact XXXX as soon as possible at
the toll-free number below.
On your first login, you will be asked to change your password. Please save your new password in a
secure place. If you delegate the completion of this data request to someone else, please have them
contact us to receive their own username and password.
The due date for completion of the 2024 RECS ESS is {DueDate}.
Support specialists from XXXX stand ready to assist you on the RECS ESS helpdesk at 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX or
via email at [Contractor’s Email]. You may also contact EIA directly by calling or emailing XXXX XXXX, the
RECS Survey Manager, at 202-XXX-XXXX or [email protected].
Your participation is vital to the continued success of this program. Thank you again and we greatly
appreciate your support for this study.
Sincerely,
Charles Ian Mead
Director, Office of Energy Demand and Integrated Statistics
U.S. Energy Information Administration
{SUPPLIER ID}

4. Confirmation Call Follow-up Email

TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:

{CONTACT’S EMAIL ADDRESS}
{SPECIALIST’S EMAIL ADDRESS}
EIA Survey Reminder (RECS ESS)

Dear {CONTACT FIRST NAME} {CONTACT LAST NAME},
I wanted to follow up about the 2024 RECS Energy Supplier Survey (RECS ESS) to make sure you
received the emails we recently sent. Please search your inbox for the two emails from
[email protected]. These emails contain a link to the survey website, your username, and
password. If you cannot find the emails, I can have them resent.
Please reply to this email or call me directly at {SPECIALIST PHONE NUMBER} to let me know if
you have received the emails.
As a reminder, your due date for submitting the requested data is {DUE DATE}. {IF 1 OR 2
CASES, SAY: It should take less than 30 minutes of your time.}
The RECS ESS (Forms EIA-457 D-G) is mandatory under Section 13(b) of the Federal Energy
Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-275), as amended.
Regards,
{SPECIALIST NAME/SIGNATURE BLOCK}

5. Check-in Email

TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:

{CONTACT’S EMAIL ADDRESS}
{SPECIALIST’S EMAIL ADDRESS}
EIA Survey 2nd Reminder (RECS ESS)

Dear {CONTACT FIRST NAME} {CONTACT LAST NAME},
This is a friendly reminder that your 2024 RECS Energy Supplier Survey (RECS ESS) due date is
{DUE DATE}. {IF 1 OR 2 CASES, SAY: It should take less than 30 minutes of your time.}
If I can answer any questions, offer other assistance, or if you need us to resend the emails with
the link to the survey website, your username, and password, please contact me at {PHONE
NUMBER} or {EMAIL}.
The RECS ESS (Forms EIA-457 D-G) is mandatory under Section 13(b) of the Federal Energy
Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-275), as amended.
Regards,
{SPECIALIST NAME/SIGNATURE BLOCK}

6. Reminder Email

TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:

{CONTACT’S EMAIL ADDRESS}
[email protected]

EIA Survey Final Reminder (RECS ESS)

Dear {CONTACT FIRST NAME} {CONTACT LAST NAME},
Recently, we contacted you about how to complete the 2024 RECS Energy Supplier Survey
(RECS ESS) through a secure website. As of today, our records indicate that your submission for
{COMPANY NAME} has not been completed. This is a reminder that the RECS ESS data from
your company is due on {DUE DATE}.
The RECS ESS (Forms EIA-457 D-G) is mandatory under Section 13(b) of the Federal Energy
Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-275), as amended. Failure to respond may result in a
civil penalty of not more than $10,633 each day for each violation. The government may bring a
civil action to prohibit reporting violations.
Please log in to the RECS ESS website (URL) to securely submit your data. It is NOT recommended that you
submit your RECS ESS data via email.
If you have any questions or need an extension of the due date, please contact your specialist
or the RECS ESS helpdesk at 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX or [email protected].
Regards,
{GENERIC SIGNATURE BLOCK}

7. Thank You Letter

{Supplier Name}
{Street address 1}
{Street address 2}
{City, state, zip}

{Date}

Dear {FirstName} {LastName}:
On behalf of the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the statistical and analytical agency
within the U.S. Department of Energy, I would like to thank you and your company for completing
the Energy Supplier Survey (ESS) portion of the 2024 Residential Energy Consumption Survey
(RECS). We understand that it takes time and resources to provide accurate data; your
commitment to timeliness and quality is much appreciated. Please extend our gratitude to all
others in your organization who helped to complete the 2024 RECS ESS.
It would not be possible to produce broad and accurate statistics about energy consumption
without the efforts of energy providers across the country. Your company’s participation helps us
provide the best information on current energy demand and end uses to inform national and statelevel energy policy and efficiency programs.
Should you need any information about energy consumption in the residential, commercial, or
manufacturing sectors, please contact my staff or visit our website at:
https://www.eia.gov/consumption/
Thank you again for your company’s efforts in completing the RECS ESS.
Sincerely,

Charles Ian Mead
Director, Office of Energy Demand and Integrated Statistics
U.S. Energy Information Administration

8. Final Follow-up Letter

{Supplier Name}
{Street address 1}
{Street address 2}
{City, state, zip}

{Date}

Dear {FirstName} {LastName}:
You have been contacted to complete the mandatory 2024 Residential Energy Consumption Survey
(RECS) Energy Supplier Survey (ESS). As the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the
statistical and analytical agency within the U.S. Department of Energy, we make this data request
as part of the 2024 RECS, which is a congressionally mandated study of U.S. residential energy
demand.
Your company’s due date for the RECS ESS was {DueDate}. To date, we have not received the data
that we requested. Failure to respond may result in a civil penalty of not more than $10,633 each
day for each violation.
Our goal is to assist you as much as possible in your reporting effort. We have asked our contractor,
XXXX, to help you submit your data. XXXX staff is ready to assist you on the RECS ESS helpdesk at 1XXX-XXX-XXXX or by email at [email protected]. You may also contact EIA directly by calling or
emailing XXXX XXXX, the RECS Survey Manager, at 202-XXX-XXXX or [email protected].
Your participation is vital to the success of the 2024 RECS. Thank you again, and we greatly
appreciate your support for this study.
Sincerely,

Charles Ian Mead
Director, Office of Energy Demand and Integrated Statistics
U.S. Energy Information Administration

9. Confidentiality Letter

{Supplier Name}
{Street address 1}
{Street address 2}
{City, state, zip}

{Date}

Dear {FirstName} {LastName}:
Thank you for bringing your concerns about the 2024 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS)
Energy Supplier Survey (ESS) to EIA’s attention. I hope my staff and that of our data collection
contractor, XXXX, have been helpful in responding to your concerns. Your company’s participation is
indispensable in helping to ensure the RECS will serve its primary purpose: to provide complete,
impartial information about household energy use to the energy industry, policymakers, market
analysts, and the public.
We understand and respect your company’s legal responsibility to protect customers’ records. The
climate in which you operate and we conduct our statistical studies, and the public’s legitimate
concerns about their privacy and our obligation to protect it, have changed considerably since the
1970s when we conducted the first RECS. For these reasons, Congress passed overarching legislation
in 2002 to strengthen confidentiality protections of data collected for statistical purposes by or for the
federal government.
This legislation, Title V of P.L. 107-437, the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical
Efficiency Act (CIPSEA) and reauthorized in 2018, is the confidentiality provision under which all data
for the 2024 RECS are collected. Assurances in the Electric Discount and Energy Competition Act are
satisfied by the protections we are required to take under CIPSEA to safeguard the confidentiality of
2024 RECS data.
Under CIPSEA, data about individuals collected for statistical purposes for EIA or any other federal
agency are safe from disclosure of any type, including the legal process. To quote Sec. 512 of CIPSEA, 1)
we must declare these data are collected for statistical purposes only, and 2) “Data or information
acquired by an agency under a pledge of confidentiality for exclusively statistical purposes shall not be
disclosed by an agency in identifiable form, for any use other than an exclusively statistical purpose,
except with the informed consent of the respondent.” We and our agents – in this case our data
collection contractor, XXXX – receive formal training, take an oath, and sign pledges to that effect.
Should we fail to protect respondent confidentiality, we would be individually guilty of a Class E felony
punishable by 5 years in prison or a fine of up to $250,000, or both. It is a grave responsibility and one
which both EIA and [Insert Contractor Company Name] take very seriously. We simply cannot collect
good data without these promises and protections in today’s climate.
Although there is a time and resource burden to you and other suppliers in complying with EIA’s
request on the RECS, we make good use of that time by making our statistical reports available to all.
Our statistical reports serve many purposes and are accessed by a wide range of users. EIA’s website,
www.eia.gov, receives more than one million unique visitors each month.
We truly appreciate your participation, time and attention to the 2024 RECS Energy Supplier Survey
(RECS ESS). We share your concerns about the confidentiality of your customers’ data and dutifully
promise to uphold our responsibilities pursuant to CIPSEA.

Sincerely,
Charles Ian Mead
Director, Office of Energy Demand and Integrated Statistics
U.S. Energy Information Administration

10. Authorization Letter

{Supplier Name}
{Street address 1}
{Street address 2}
{City, state, zip}

{Date}

Dear {FirstName} {LastName}:
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the statistical and analytical agency within the U.S.
Department of Energy, has contracted with XXXX, a survey research firm located in XXXX, XXXX, to
conduct the 2024 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) Energy Supplier Survey (ESS), an
important federal energy study.
A RECS ESS Specialist, a XXXX employee, recently contacted you or someone in your company about the
RECS ESS. They are an authorized agent of EIA who was trained to work on this project, answer any
questions, and provide assistance. We appreciate you working with the RECS ESS Specialist to
complete the RECS ESS.
RECS provides the only national source of statistical information about the energy-related
characteristics of residential buildings. The ESS, which collects the quantity and cost of energy used, is
the critical final phase of the RECS.
By law, the information you provide can only be used for statistical purposes and must remain
confidential under the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA) of
2018, Public Law 107-347. The RECS ESS (Forms EIA-457 D-G) is mandatory under Section 13(b) of
the Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-275), as amended.
Should you have questions for EIA about the purpose, protections, or uses of the RECS ESS study,
please contact XXXX XXXX, RECS Manager at EIA, at 202-XXX-XXXX or [email protected]. Questions about
logging into the website or completing the online RECS ESS forms may be directed to XXXX’s toll-free
RECS ESS helpdesk at 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX or [email protected]. RECS ESS Specialists will provide prompt
assistance.
More information about RECS and EIA is available at https://www.eia.gov/consumption/residential/ To
learn more about our contractor, XXXX, visit [URL].
Sincerely,

Charles Ian Mead
Director, Office of Energy Demand and Integrated Statistics
U.S. Energy Information Administration

11. Nudge Letter

{Supplier Name}
{Street address 1}
{Street address 2}
{City, state, zip}

{Date}

Dear {FirstName} {LastName}:
We are reaching out to you regarding the 2024 Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) Energy
Supplier Survey (ESS). The ESS is an important, federally-mandated energy study that has been conducted on a
regular basis since 1978 by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the statistical and analytical agency
within the U.S. Department of Energy.
We have been attempting to contact you or someone in your company about this mandatory data collection. A
RECS ESS Specialist from our contractor (XXXX) has been assigned to assist you on our behalf. Please be on the
lookout for their phone calls and emails, or reach out to your RECS ESS Specialist directly:
{Specialist Name}
{Specialist Phone}, {Specialist Email}
EIA, the statistical and analytical agency within the U.S. Department of Energy, has contracted with XXXX,
a trusted survey research firm located in XXXX, XXXX, to conduct the 2024 RECS ESS for us. More information
about RECS and EIA is available at https://www.eia.gov/consumption/residential. To learn more about XXXX,
visit [URL].
RECS provides the only authoritative, official information about residential building energy characteristics in the
United States. The ESS, which collects the quantity and cost of energy used for that nationally representative
sample of residences, is the critical final phase of the RECS.
Your company’s response to the RECS ESS (Forms EIA-457 D-G) is mandatory under Section 13(b) of the
Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-275), as amended.
If you have questions or need assistance, please contact the toll-free RECS ESS helpdesk at 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX
by email at [email protected]. You may also contact EIA directly by calling or emailing XXXX XXXX, the
RECS Survey Manager, at 202-XXX-XXXX or [email protected]. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,

Charles Ian Mead
Director, Office of Energy Demand and Integrated Statistics
U.S. Energy Information Administration

12. Customer Added Email

TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:

{CONTACT’S EMAIL ADDRESS}
{SPECIALIST’S EMAIL ADDRESS}
Additional Customers Added for EIA Survey (RECS ESS)

Thank you for your response to the 2024 RECS Energy Supplier Survey (RECS ESS). We have
added one or more additional customers to our initial information request. You will be able to
access these new addresses through the same website you previously used: [URL]
If you need any help or have questions about submitting data for these additional customers,
please call our toll-free RECS ESS helpdesk at 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX or email us at [Contractor emailaddress].
Again, thank you for your efforts.
{SPECIALIST NAME/SIGNATURE BLOCK}

13. Extension to Due Date Email

TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:

{CONTACT’S EMAIL ADDRESS}
{SPECIALIST’S EMAIL ADDRESS}
New Due Date for EIA Survey (RECS ESS)

We received your request for additional time to complete the 2024 RECS Energy Supplier
Survey (RECS ESS). The new due date for {Energy Supplier Name} is {DATE}. If you need further
help, please call the RECS ESS helpdesk toll-free at 1-XXX-XXX-XXXX or reply to this email.
We appreciate your efforts!
{SPECIALIST NAME/SIGNATURE BLOCK}

14. Receipt of Data File Email

TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:

{CONTACT’S EMAIL ADDRESS}
[email protected]
Receipt of Data File for EIA Survey (RECS ESS)

Thank you for participating in the 2024 RECS Energy Supplier Survey (RECS ESS). We have
received the data you submitted. After reviewing it, we may call you back to clarify some
data items. We appreciate your efforts!
{SPECIALIST NAME/SIGNATURE BLOCK}