Measuring Energy Assistance Outcomes:The Home Energy Insecurity Scale

Roger D. Colton

Fisher, Sheehan & Colton

Public Finance and General Economics

34 Warwick Road, Belmont, MA 02478

June 2003

Home Energy Insecurity Scale:The Genesis

HHS/OCS/ACF--LIHEAP LIHEAP “Managing for Results”

Committee.

Problems with Prior Outcomes Improvements to self-sufficiency have

been “assumed” rather than measured.– Or they have been ignored entirely.

Reductions in energy usage/energy burdens erroneously assumed to be a priori a “good thing.”

Problems with Prior Outcomes

Failed to integrate the various aspects of “self-sufficiency” into a coherent approach, let alone a methodologically sound measurement.– Payment troubles one aspect.– No payment troubles, but food/medicine.– No payment troubles or food/medicine, but

substantive home energy deprivation.

Home Energy Insecurity Scale:Purposes to be Served Measure outcomes, not outputs, activities. Integrate various energy problems into a

measurement of “self-sufficiency” that balances usage, payments, budgets.

Allows measurement of incremental progress.

Applies irrespective of program: LIHEAP, WAP, REACH, SBC, USF.

Home Energy Insecurity Scale:Some things need to “let go of” Self-sufficiency must be reached for

“success” to be shown. The goal of LIHEAP is to make low-

income customers “thriving.” Decreased “energy burdens” is an end

unto itself rather than a means to an end.

Home Energy Insecurity Scale:Historical Precedent ROMA Scales

– CSBG agencies are completely familiar with.

– Work done by Monitoring and Assessment Task Force (MATF)

USDA’s Food Insecurity Scale

What is a “scale”

Continuum with a “top” and a “bottom.” Must have benchmarks in between that

mark a household’s condition or status.– Benchmarks called “thresholds.”

Common scales:– Income deciles (richest, poorest)– NCAA “March Madness” tournament.

Home Energy Insecurity Scale:Internal Structure: Thresholds

Thriving Capable

Stable Vulnerable

In Crisis Mov

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Home Energy Insecurity Scale:Thriving Household

A “thriving” household has achieved generally accepted standards of well-

being. Can engage in full range of home energy uses w/o outside assistance and

without strain.

Home Energy Insecurity Scale:Capable Household

A “capable” household is secure, even though not having achieved the

generally accepted standards of well-being. May have arrears, but does not put service at risk. Never experiences adverse impact on basic needs. No

more than occasional strain or occasional foregone energy use.

Home Energy Insecurity Scale:Stable Household

A “stable” household does not face immediate threats and is unlikely to be

in immediate crisis. May sometimes need outside assistance. May have

arrears and threat of loss of service, but no actual loss and no actual foregone

basic needs.

Home Energy Insecurity Scale:Vulnerable Household

A “vulnerable” household is not in immediate danger, but may avoid this

danger only through temporary or inappropriate solutions. Occasionally compromises on basic needs. May have threatened loss of service and

infrequent actual loss. May have occasional impact on basic needs.

Home Energy Insecurity Scale:In-Crisis Household

An “in-crisis” household faces immediate needs that threaten the household’s

physical and/or emotional safety. Recurring periods of going without

energy. Routinely compromise basic energy needs. Routinely compromise

basic non-energy needs.

The Home Energy Insecurity Survey

Eleven questions Used not simply to collect information,

but to place Household on scale.– Presence or absence of indicator either

includes a household or excludes a household.

Because of inability-to-pay.

Home Energy Insecurity Scale:The Challenge: Part 1

“. . .use[] in diverse circumstances while maintaining some uniformity of design

and application.”

Home Energy Insecurity Scale:The Challenge: Part 2

“The Scale treats the person using air conditioning in Tucson the same as the person using heating in Minneapolis. It treats the farmer using propane to heat in Iowa the same as the apartment dweller

using electricity to heat in Manhattan. It treats the two-parent household with ten children the same as the widowed retired grandmother the same as

the single disabled 25 year old person.”

Home Energy Insecurity Scale:The Challenges: Part 3

Every household must go into one threshold; BUT

Every household must go into no more than one threshold.

Home Energy Insecurity Scale:Scaling a Household

MATF Scales Handbook

“These types of scales lead a case manager in decision making by creating a path with continual forks in the road.

The case manager must either turn right or left: he cannot go both ways at the

same time.”

The Home Energy Insecurity Survey

Questions 1 - 4 We worry about energy. We need outside assistance. We can’t use as much energy as we

want. We reduce energy to uncomfortable

or inconvenient levels.

The Home Energy Insecurity Survey

Questions 5 - 7 We cannot heat or cool our entire

home. We compromise on basic energy

needs. We do not pay our bills.

The Home Energy Insecurity Survey

Questions 8 - 10 We use appliances for purposes that

they are not intended for. We compromise on non-energy basic

household needs. We face a threatened loss of energy

service.

The Home Energy Insecurity Survey

Question 11 We experience actual loss of energy

service.

The Home Energy Insecurity Scale:Reporting Move to Self-Sufficiency

Beginning Status

Thriving Capable Stable Vulnerable In-Crisis

Thriving 1 2 3 4 5

Capable 6 7 8 9 10

Stable 11 12 13 14 15

Vulnerable 16 17 18 19 20

Endin

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In-Crisis 21 22 23 24 25

The Home Energy Insecurity Scale:The National Testing: Diversity

Big vs. small Rural vs. urban Natural gas, electric, fuel oil heating East vs. West North vs. South LIHEAP vs. Non-LIHEAP

The Home Energy Insecurity Scale:The National Testing: Results

0 were “thriving” 4 were “capable” 7 were “stable” 37 were “vulnerable” 37 were “in crisis”

(15 minute survey: average)

For more information:

roger@fsconline.com

Home Energy Insecurity Scale Thank you for assistance in developing

Scott Anglemyer Kansas Dept. of Commerce & HousingKaren Brown Colorado Energy Assistance FoundationJack Burch Community Action Council (KY)John Burgess Economic Opportunity Foundation (KS)Glenn Cooper Colorado Dept. of Social ServicesDr. Peter Kettner Arizona State University (retired)Jerry McKim Iowa Dept. of Human RightsDr. Bruce Wade Spelman College (GA)

Home Energy Insecurity Scale Thank you for assistance in testing

Ralph Littlefield Community Action Program, Belknap-Merrimack Counties

Concord, NH

Elliott Jacobsen Action Energy Gloucester, MADavid Treharne West Virginia Community Action Directors

AssociationParkersburg, WV

Jack Burch Community Action Council Lexington, KYJack Laverty Corporation for Ohio Appalachian

Development (COAD)Athens, OH

Ivan Eames Central Missouri Counties HumanDevelopment Corporation

Columbia, MO

Debra Kennedy Community Action Directors of Oregon Salem, ORChuck Eberdt The Energy Project: The Opportunity

CouncilBellingham, WA

Gene Brady Commission on Economic Opportunity ofLuzerne County

Wilkes-Barre, PA

Jim Morton Human Resource Development Council VI Missoula, MT