2014-11196. Proposed Agency Information Collection

AGENCY:

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy.

ACTION:

Notice and Request for Comments.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Energy (DOE) invites public comment on a proposed collection of information that DOE is developing for submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

DATES:

Comments regarding this proposed information collection must be received on or before July 14, 2014. If you anticipate difficulty in submitting comments within that period, contact the person listed in ADDRESSES as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments may be sent to Mr. Chris Early, U.S. Department of Energy, Building Technologies Office, Mail Stop EE-5B, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121 or by fax at 202-586-4617 or by email at [e-mail].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should be directed to Mr. Chris Early, U.S. Department of Energy, Building Technologies Office, Mail Stop EE-5B, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121. [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This information collection request contains: (1) OMB No. New; (2) Information Collection Request Title: Programs for Improving Energy Efficiency in Residential Buildings (3) Type of Request: New; (4) Purpose: The proposed collection is for the activities of four Department of Energy programs: The Challenge Home Program, the Better Buildings Residential Network, the Building America Program, and Home Energy Score (HEScore). Through these programs DOE encourages and assists the people and organizations that volunteer to participate in them to build and renovate new and existing houses to use less energy. The program partners who voluntarily participate in the programs consist of most of the actors in the home building industry including 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, financial institutions, non-profit organizations, educational institutions, energy program administrators and implementers, Home Performance with ENERGY STAR sponsors, and other organizations who believe peer sharing will help them improve their effectiveness in encouraging homeowners to complete energy upgrades. DOE proposes to collect information about the participants such as their names and addresses, their evaluations of training they received about the programs, descriptions of their qualifications to conduct training for the programs, their plans to get additional people to participate in the programs, their certifications describing how they can assess homes, estimates of how many homes they can get to participate in the programs, and information about the homes. The collected information will help DOE understand the participating partners' activities and progress toward achieving scheduled milestones enabling DOE to make decisions about the best way to run the programs and respond to partners' needs to improve their operations and actions to lower energy consumption. (5) Annual Estimated Number of Respondents: 12,702. (6) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses: 47,804. (7) Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: 22,332. (8) Annual Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: Zero dollars.

Statutory Authority: The U.S. Code, Title 42, Chapter 149, Subchapter IX, Part A, Section 16191—Energy Efficiency.

Issued in Washington, DC, on May 8, 2014.

Kathleen B. Hogan,

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.