Non-Monetized Data Collection and Analysis

In determining the value for all non-monetized impacts, performance metrics will be calculated directly from the relevant household-level data shown in Table 2.3. The appropriate performance metric for each non-monetized non-energy impact is identified in Table 2.4. The methods that will be used to collect and analyze the relevant data for each non-monetized impact are described below. As with the monetized non-energy impacts, results specific to geographic region, climate region, and/or housing type will be developed to the extent possible.

For most of the non-monetized impacts described below, occupants of 940 housing units weatherized in PY 2007 and 529 control units from the agencies included in the billing data sample will be surveyed over the phone using a portion of the “Occupant Survey” (see Appendix I for the survey and Appendix M for a detailed justification for this sample size). The survey will

be administered immediately after each house is audited and again a year after weatherization, with an incentive provided to improve the response rate.

The other main data collection approach used for the study of non-monetized health, safety, and comfort impacts is the direct measurement of key factors in a sample of 309 weatherized housing units and 59 control dwellings. See Appendix M for a justification of this sample size. To reduce data collection costs, an effort will be made to select some houses that are already being studied for the fuel-oil, propane, and air conditioning studies (see Sections 2.2.1 and 4.6), provided that can be done without skewing the sample. In each of the units selected for the direct measurement study, the following will be measured during both the pre- and post-weatherization period:

carbon monoxide levels; level of airborne mold spores inside and outside the dwelling; level of airborne pollen indoors and outside; indoor humidity level; temperature inside the refrigerator;

asbestos and radon levels; and indoor air temperature. Pre-weatherization measurements will be taken after the audit is performed, and post-weatherization measurements will be taken at the appropriate time following the installation of all weatherization measures.

• Fewer fires—Performance Metric: Perceived changes in safety of heating system and electrical wiring in weatherized houses. Using the “Occupant Survey” described above, program participants and a control group of non-participants will be asked for their

perceptions of the safety of their dwelling’s heating system and electrical wiring before and after the period in which weatherization work is performed. Net change in perceptions from the pre- to post-weatherization period will be determined by comparing change for the treatment and control groups using an appropriate statistical procedure.

• Changes in frequency of health problems—Performance Metric: Perceived change in health problems in weatherized houses. Program participants and a control group of non-participants will be surveyed using the “Occupant Survey” regarding the perceived condition of their (and their family’s) health in the pre- and post-weatherization periods. An

appropriate statistical procedure will be used to compare the change from the pre- to post-weatherization period for the weatherized and control groups.

• Changes in frequency of health problems—Performance Metric: Change in incidence of symptoms or occurrences of specific health problems in weatherized houses. Through the “Occupant Survey,” program participants and non-participants will be asked to report the frequency with which they experience certain health problems or the principal symptoms of those problems during the pre-weatherization period and again during the

post-weatherization period. Subjects will be asked specifically about occurrences of asthma, other respiratory problems, colds, and flu. They will also be asked to report symptoms of these and other conditions such as exposure to allergens, mold, and CO. Those symptoms include wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing, congestion, headaches, and nausea.

• Enhanced prevention and treatment of health problems—Performance Metric:

Reduction in number of times food could not be purchased due to size of utility bill in weatherized houses. The “Occupant Survey” will ask weatherization clients and a control group about the frequency with which they have foregone the purchase of food in order to pay utility bills and the frequency will which they have not paid utility bills in order to

purchase food. The same questions will be asked during the pre- and post-weatherization periods, and any changes from the former to the latter will be calculated. The net change from the pre- to post-weatherization period will be determined by comparing change for the treatment and control groups using an appropriate statistical procedure.

• Enhanced prevention and treatment of health problems—Performance Metric: Change in access to health care and medication in weatherized houses. The “Occupant Survey”

will ask residents of weatherized and non-weatherized households questions about the trade-offs they have made between paying utility bills and purchasing prescription medicines that are similar to the questions described above for food purchases. As in that subject area, changes from the pre- to post-weatherization period will be compared for the weatherized and control groups. In addition, the two groups (weatherized and not weatherized) will be compared in terms of how their number of visits to emergency rooms and to their primary physician or other primary health care provider has changed from the pre- to

post-weatherization period. The frequency with which respondents report not having a primary care physician or other primary health care provider will also be examined.

• Changes in indoor air quality—Performance Metric: Measured change in CO levels in weatherized houses. Equipment will be installed in 309 weatherized housing units and 59 control units to measure carbon monoxide (CO) levels during both the pre- and

post-weatherization period. The non-weatherized houses will be measured at the same time as the weatherized units to control for any possible changes in outdoor temperature or other

climatic conditions. Net change in CO levels from the pre- to post-weatherization period will be determined by comparing change for the treatment and control groups using an

appropriate statistical procedure. In addition, descriptive statistics will be generated showing the frequency with which dangerously high levels of CO were found during the pre-

weatherization period and the appropriate statistical test will be used to calculate the frequency with which those high concentrations were reduced to safe levels in weatherized units.

• Changes in indoor air quality—Performance Metric: Measured change in level of indoor airborne mold spores relative to outdoor levels in weatherized houses. In the same housing units for which CO concentrations will be measured, the levels of airborne mold spore contamination will also be quantified by comparing the number and species of mold found indoors to those found immediately outside the dwelling. These measurements will be taken both before and after weatherization, and the change in indoor-to-outdoor ratios between those two periods will be calculated. The non-weatherized units will be measured at the same time as the weatherized units and careful attention will be paid to the season in which the measurements are taken. Net change in indoor-to-outdoor mold spore ratios from the pre- to post-weatherization period will be determined by comparing change for the treatment and control groups using an appropriate statistical procedure.

• Changes in indoor air quality—Performance Metric: Measured change in level of indoor airborne pollen relative to outdoor levels in weatherized houses. Levels of airborne pollen will be measured in the same housing units for which the concentrations of CO and indoor mold spores will be examined. As with those other items, measurements will

be taken both before and after weatherization and the change in indoor-to-outdoor ratios from the pre- to post-weatherization periods will be compared for the weatherized and control groups. Once again, the non-weatherized units will be measured at the same time as the weatherized units and careful attention will be paid to the season in which the measurements are taken.

• Changes in indoor air quality—Performance Metric: Perceived change in frequency of odors within weatherized houses. The “Occupant Survey” will ask a sample of

weatherization participants and non-participants for their perceptions of how often there are odors inside their home that could indicate a problem with indoor air quality. The occupants will be asked to describe the situation separately for the winter and the summer, and the survey will be administered both before and after weatherization. Net change from the pre- to post-weatherization period will be determined by comparing change for the treatment and control groups using an appropriate statistical procedure.

• Changes in household moisture levels—Performance Metric: Measured change in humidity levels in weatherized houses. Relative humidity will be measured in the same housing units for which the concentrations of CO, indoor mold spores, and pollen will be examined, during both the pre- and post-weatherization periods. The non-weatherized units will be measured at the same time as the weatherized units and careful attention will be paid to the season in which the measurements are taken. Net change in humidity levels from the pre- to post-weatherization period will be determined by comparing change for the treatment and control groups using an appropriate statistical procedure.

• Decreased incidence of hypothermia and hyperthermia—Performance Metric: Change in incidence of students’ disrupted study in weatherized houses. The “Occupant Survey”

will ask how frequently household residents find it hard to study at home because of

excessive heat or cold. The net change in frequency of study disruption from the pre- to post-weatherization period will be determined by comparing change for the treatment and control groups using an appropriate statistical procedure.

• Improved food safety—Performance Metric: Measured change in refrigerator

temperature in weatherized houses. The change in the internal temperature of refrigerators will be measured in the same housing units for which CO, indoor mold spores, pollen, and relative humidity will be examined. Temperatures will be taken inside the refrigerator both before and after weatherization and the net change in refrigerator temperature from the pre- to post-weatherization period will be calculated from the treatment and control group data using an appropriate statistical procedure. In addition, descriptive statistics will be generated showing the frequency with which unsafe temperatures were found inside refrigerators during the pre- weatherization period and the appropriate statistical test will be used to calculate the frequency with which those high temperatures were reduced to safe levels in weatherized units.

• Improved food safety—Performance Metric: Change in incidence of gastrointestinal problems and food poisoning in weatherized houses. The “Occupant Survey” will ask people in weatherized and non-weatherized households whether they have experienced

serious gastrointestinal problems in the previous month or have suffered from food poisoning dung the past six months. These same questions will be asked both before and after

weatherization, and the changes will be compared for the weatherized and control groups.

• Improved household safety and security—Performance Metric: Perceived change in security from criminal intrusion in weatherized houses. Using the “Occupant Survey,”

program participants and a control group of non-participants will be asked for their perceptions of how secure their home is from intrusion by criminals both before and after weatherization. The change over time will be compared for the weatherized and control groups using an appropriate statistical procedure.

• Change in presence of environmental hazards—Performance Metric: Measured change in levels of asbestos and radon in weatherized houses. In the same dwellings for which CO and other factors will be measured, the levels of asbestos and radon will be measured during both the pre- and post-weatherization periods and net change will be calculated as described previously. In addition, descriptive statistics will be generated showing the frequency with which unsafe levels of asbestos and radon were found during the pre- weatherization period and the appropriate statistical test will be used to calculate the frequency with which those high concentrations were reduced to safe levels in weatherized units.

• Change in presence of environmental hazards—Performance Metric: Change in number of poisonings from household chemicals in weatherized houses. Through the

“Occupant Survey,” subjects in both weatherized and non-weatherized dwellings will be asked to report whether the members of their household had been poisoned during the past year and, if so, to identify the substance with which they had been poisoned. Net change from the pre- to post-weatherization period will be determined by comparing change for the treatment and control groups using an appropriate statistical procedure. Additional data on the frequency of poisoning from household chemicals will be taken from reliable secondary sources.

• Change in presence of environmental hazards—Performance Metric: Change in level of vermin infestation in weatherized houses. The “Occupant Survey” will solicit information from both weatherization participants and non-participants on the extent to which their dwelling is infested with rats, cockroaches, and other vermin. This question will be asked both before and after weatherization. The net change in this factor from the pre- to post-weatherization period will be determined by comparing change for the treatment and control groups.

• Improved comfort—Performance Metric: Perceived improvement in indoor comfort in weatherized houses. A sample of Program participants and a control group of

non-participants will be asked about their perceptions of the indoor comfort of their dwelling unit during the pre- and post-weatherization period, via the “Occupant Survey.” Comfort will include both indoor temperature and draftiness, as in the 1989 Weatherization Program national evaluation, as well as the floor area or number of rooms that can be conditioned.

Responses will be solicited during both the heating and cooling seasons. Net change from the

pre- to post-weatherization period will be determined using an appropriate statistical procedure.

• Improved comfort—Performance Metric: Measured change in indoor air temperature in weatherized houses. Equipment will be installed in the previously-mentioned 309 treatment dwellings and 59 control units to measure indoor winter and, if possible, summer air temperatures during both the pre- and post-weatherization periods. The non-weatherized houses will be measured at the same time as the weatherized units to control for any possible changes in outdoor temperature or other climatic conditions, and careful attention will be paid to the season in which the measurements are taken. Net change from the pre- to post-weatherization period will be determined by comparing change from the treatment and control groups using an appropriate statistical procedure.

• Improved appearance—Performance Metric: Perceived improvement in appearance of weatherized dwellings. Using the “Occupant Survey,” a sample of Program participants and a control group of non-participants will be asked for their perceptions of the appearance of their dwellings both before and after weatherization. Changes from the pre- to

post-weatherization period will be compared for the treatment and control groups.

• Reduced noise inside dwelling—Performance Metric: Perceived reduction in noise within weatherized dwellings. The “Occupant Survey” will ask a sample of weatherization participants and non-participants for their perceptions of the noise level within their

dwellings both before and after weatherization. Once again, net change from the pre- to post-weatherization period will be determined by comparing change for the treatment and control groups using an appropriate statistical procedure.

As described above, the magnitude of each non-monetized impact will be calculated separately.

In addition, the effects of specific agency actions on various non-monetized health- and safety-related impacts will be explored. This can be done by (1) performing regression analysis to search for relationships between various impacts and agency actions (e.g., plumbing repairs, improved ventilation) that have the potential to affect health and safety; and (2) doing a literature review on the relationships between selected agency actions and health effects.