By Martin Kushler
ACEEE Senior Fellow
The Internet has been burning up these last two days with reactions to a new academic working paper (Do Energy Efficiency Investments Deliver? Evidence from the Weatherization Assistance Program) by researchers at the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago (EPIC) and the University of California, Berkeley, associated with the E2e Project.
Let me be blunt and to the point. The "results" of this very narrowly focused and arguably conceptually flawed study are being blown out of proportion, with many news article headlines taking this one example as representative of all residential energy efficiency programs. Unfortunately, this flawed conclusion has been promoted by the Energy Policy Institute themselves in their press release and accompanying policy brief.
For those not yet familiar with this story, the authors conducted a study of one particular low-income program (the federal Weatherization Assistance Program, or WAP), as implemented in portions of one state (Michigan), and somehow ended up with the sweeping headline "Study Finds Costs of Residential Energy Efficiency Investments are Double the Benefits."
Some of the popular press is already picking up on this theme, and the concern is that a misunderstanding (or misuse) of this study will lead to low-income families having less access to important programs that drive down their utility bills. Or worse yet, as a broad-brush attack on all types of energy efficiency programs.
Evaluation wonks will be able to point to several minor to moderate problems with the study's assumptions and calculations. But in the interest of time, let me focus on two fundamental flaws in the study and how the results are being "spun"…
To continue reading this blog post, visit: http://aceee.org/blog/2015/06/residential-energy-efficiency-works
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