[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 2, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60-61]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-31565]



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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 

[[Page 61]]
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