Proposed Revision and Extension of Forms

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Energy Information Administration

Proposed Revision and Extension of Forms

AGENCY: Energy Information Administration, Energy.

ACTION: Notice of the Proposed Revision and Extension of the Forms EIA-

457A-G, ``Residential Energy Consumption Survey,'' and Solicitation of

Comments.

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SUMMARY: The Energy Information Administration (EIA) is soliciting

comments concerning the proposed revision and extension to the Forms

EIA-457A-G, ``Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS).''

DATES: Written comments must be submitted within 60 days of the

publication of this notice. If you anticipate that you will be

submitting comments, but find it difficult to do so within the period

of time allowed by this notice, you should advise the contact listed

below of your intention to do so as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Wendel Thompson, EI-631, Forrestal

Building, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC 20585, (202-586-

1119 or FAX 202-586-0018 or e-mail to: [email protected]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Requests for additional information or copies

of the form and instructions should be directed to Wendel Thompson at

the address listed above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

II. Current Actions

III. Request for Comments

I. Background

In order to fulfill its responsibilities under the Federal Energy

Administration Act of 1974 (Pub. L. No. 93-275) and the Department of

Energy Organization Act (Pub. L. No. 95-91), the Energy Information

Administration is obliged to carry out a central, comprehensive, and

unified energy data and information program. As part of this program

EIA collects, evaluates, assembles, analyzes, and disseminates data and

information related to energy resource reserves, production, demand,

and technology, and related economic and statistical information

relevant to the adequacy of energy resources to meet demands in the

near and longer term future for the Nation's economic and social needs.

The Energy Information Administration, as part of its continuing

effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden (required by the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub. L. No. 104-13)), conducts a

presurvey consultation program to provide the general public and other

Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or

continuing reporting forms. This program helps to ensure that requested

data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden is

minimized, reporting forms are clearly understood, and the impact of

collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed.

To meet this responsibility, as well as internal DOE requirements

that are dependent on accurate data, the EIA has developed an ongoing

program of national sample surveys on energy consumption in the

manufacturing, commercial, residential, and residential transportation

sectors.

The RECS has been designed by EIA to collect data on energy

consumption in the residential sector. Information about the housing

unit is collected through voluntary interviews with a representative

national sample of approximately 6,500 households. Households are asked

about what energy is used for in the home and characteristics of

energy-using equipment. Data are also collected on household

demographics (e.g., income, size, origin) and the housing unit's

physical characteristics. Data on actual energy consumption and

expenditures are obtained through a mandatory mailed survey that

requests the billing records from the household's energy suppliers. The

RECS has been conducted annually from 1980 through 1982 and triennially

beginning in 1984. The data are disseminated in two publications, one

entitled Housing Characteristics and the other Household Energy

Consumption and Expenditures.

II. Current Actions

For the 1996 RECS, the EIA proposes several changes to the existing

collection. The extension from the currently approved OMB expiration

date (May 31, 1996) has been proposed for three years (through May 31,

1999).

The household questionnaire (Form EIA-457A) for the 1996 RECS will

be considerably shorter than it was for 1993. Almost all areas in which

information has been collected will be reduced. The most significant is

dropping the measurement of floorspace. Questions on consumer decision

making, new technologies, demand-side management programs, and detail

on new homes will be dropped. Less information will be collected on the

Low Income Energy Assistance Program, characteristics of household

members, wood burning, insulation, and lights. Form EIA-457H, the

Lighting Supplement, will be eliminated and fewer questions will be

asked about light usage, reducing the liklihood that EIA can produce an

annual estimate for consumption of electricity for lighting. Energy

suppliers will not be asked to provide information about their

customer's participation in demand-side management programs or other

energy conservation programs.

Form EIA-457A, the in-person household interview, will be conducted

partially using Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI). This

technology involves replacing the paper and pencil procedure with a

laptop computer. Using CAPI frees the interviewer from determining

difficult branching operations in the questionnaire, notes inconsistent

answers which can be resolved in the presence of the respondent, and

speeds data delivery.

The sample design for 1996 will not oversample low income homes nor

newly constructed homes. The sample of 6,500 households will be

comprised of 2,000 in-person interviews and 4,500 telephone interviews.

Less information will be collected by telephone. The in-person

interviews and telephone interviews will be combined into one data set

on the basis that each represents a national sample of households.

Adjustments will be necessary to the telephone survey to correct for

biases that result from excluding households without telephones from

the sample.

The telephone method may not be used if an acceptable response rate

cannot be achieved in a pretest currently underway. The response rate

consists of successfully completing the telephone contact and receiving

a signed authorization form from the household giving EIA permission to

request the household's billing data from the energy supplier. If the

telephone mode is not used, the sample of in-person interviews will be

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increased from 2,000 to 3,000 interviews.

III. Request for Comments

Prospective respondents and other interested parties should comment

on the proposed extension and revisions. The following general

guidelines are provided to assist in the preparation of responses.

Please indicate to which form(s) your comments apply.

General Issues

EIA is interested in receiving comments from persons regarding:

A. Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for

the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including

whether the information will have practical utility. Practical utility

is the actual usefulness of information to or for an agency, taking

into account its accuracy, adequacy, reliability, timeliness, and the

agency's ability to process the information it collects.

B. What enhancements can EIA make to the quality, utility, and

clarity of the information to be collected?

As a Potential Respondent

A. Are the instructions and definitions clear and sufficient? If

not, which instructions require clarification?

B. Can data be submitted in accordance with the due date specified

in the instructions?

C. Public reporting burden for this collection is estimated to

average:

35 minutes per household for Form EIA-457A (2,000 in-person

interviews at 45 minutes each and 4,500 telephone interviews at 30

minutes each),

20 minutes per household for Form EIA-457B,

15 minutes per response for Form EIA-457C,

30 minutes for Form EIA-457D,

30 minutes for Form EIA-457E,

30 minutes for Form EIA-457F, and

30 minutes for Form EIA-457G.

Burden includes the total time, effort, or financial resources

expended to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or provide the

information including: (1) Reviewing instruction; (2) developing,

acquiring, installing, and utilizing technology and systems for the

purposes of collecting, validating, verifying, processing, maintaining,

disclosing and providing information; (3) adjusting the existing ways

to comply with any previously applicable instructions and requirements;

(4) training personnel to respond to a collection of information; (5)

searching data sources; (6) completing and reviewing the collection of

information; and (7) transmitting, or otherwise disclosing the

information.

Please comment on (1) the accuracy of our estimate and (2) how the

agency could minimize the burden of the collection of information,

including through the use of automated collection techniques or other

forms of information technology.

D. What is the estimated cost of completing each this form,

including the direct and indirect costs associated with the data

collection? The following estimated costs are provided for comment.

$21 per household for Form EIA-457A,

$13 per household for Form EIA-457B,

$9 per response for Form EIA-457C,

$18 for Form EIA-457D,

$18 for Form EIA-457E,

$18 for Form EIA-457F, and

$18 for Form EIA-457G.

Direct costs should include all costs, such as administrative

costs, directly attributable to providing this information.

E. Do you know of any other Federal, State, or local agency that

collects similar data? If you do, specify the agency, the data

element(s), and the methods of collection.

As a Potential User

A. Can you use data at the levels of detail indicated on the form?

B. For what purpose would you use the data? Be specific.

C. Are there alternate sources of data and do you use them? What

are their deficiencies and/or strengths?

D. For the most part, information is published by EIA in U.S.

customary units, e.g., cubic feet of natural gas, short tons of coal,

and barrels of oil. Would you prefer to see EIA publish more

information in metric units, e.g., cubic meters, metric tons, and

kilograms? If yes, please specify what information (e.g., coal

production, natural gas consumption, and crude oil imports), the metric

unit(s) of measurement preferred, and in which EIA publication(s) you

would like to see such information.

Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized

and/or included in the request for OMB approval of the form; they also

will become a matter of public record.

Statutory Authorities: Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. No. 104-13).

Issued in Washington, D.C. December 21, 1995.

John Gross,

Acting Director, Office of Statistical Standards, Energy Information

Administration.

[FR Doc. 95-31565 Filed 12-29-95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450-01-P