[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]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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: wthompso@eia.doe.gov).
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
