Linda Berry

Guidelines for successfully transferring government-sponsored innovations☆

The purpose of this paper is to develop guidelines that managers of government-sponsored R&D could use in identifying appropriate technology transfer strategies for specific innovations. The paper begins with a description of six types of commercialization strategies that have been successfully used by federal agencies: contracting R&D to industrial partners, working with industrial consortia, licensing to industry, influencing key decision makers, working with broker organizations, and generating end-user demand. Next the results of nine case studies of innovations are summarized: five have been fully commercialized and four have been semi-commercialized. These case studies illustrate the need to tailor commercialization strategies to specific innovations.Three ways of classifying innovations (based on technological, market, and policy criteria) are proposed. Technological criteria evaluate inventions on scientific and technical grounds, while market criteria evaluate inventions with respect to characteristics of the marketplace. Policy criteria refer to a government agencys resources and goals. Once these evaluations are completed, the choice of a commercialization mode is facilitated.Finally, guidelines for selecting a technology transfer strategy are developed, based primarily on the five fully commercialized innovations. These guidelines are summarized in a matrix which presents the relationships between the evaluation criteria and appropriate technology transfer strategies. The guidelines are tested by applying them to the semi-commercialized innovations. The consistency between the recommended strategies and the strategies actually used is examined.

Review of utility home energy audit programs

Evaluation efforts of utilities with active home energy audit programs were reviewed to provide insights into the operations and effectiveness of existing utility home energy audit programs. About half the utilities contacted had little or no evaluation activity. Of those with evaluation activity, most conducted only informal evaluations for in-house use. A few utilities had conducted fully documented formal evaluations. On the basis mainly of written reports received from the utilities, findings about customer response to programs are summarized. The topics discussed include: determinants of program participation rates, use of financing, attitudes toward programs, actions taken, characteristics of participants and energy savings due to programs.

A review of the market penetration of US residential and commercial demand-side management programmes

Abstract The expected market penetration of demand-side management (DSM) technologies and programmes is a key uncertainty in estimating the availability of energy-efficiency resources. This article reviews the market penetration of residential and commercial DSM programmes in the USA by characterizing typical patterns of variation (including ranges, averages and maximum levels) in their customer participation rates and by identifying the factors that affect participation.

The role of financial incentives in utility-sponsored residential conservation programs: A review of customer surveys☆

Abstract A number of utility programs are encouraging residential customers to invest in energy-efficient equipment by providing financial incentives for these actions. Subsidized loans are the most common type of incentive offered by utility programs, although discounts, rebates, lower rates, and free materials or labor also have been provided. Given the large sums involved in utility loan programs, an understanding of the impact of these financial incentives on retrofit investment decisions has a high potential policy value. The purpose of this paper is to review the available evidence on this issue and to suggest ways that additional evidence can be obtained.

Determinants of participation in home energy audit/loan programs: Discrete choice model results

Discrete choice models are developed for decisions to participate in home energy audit and loan programs. A nested logit model of joint audit and loan decisions is also estimated. The results suggest that attitudinal variables concerning the information value and convenience of audits are the best predictors of the audit choice. A belief that conservation retrofits improve home value is the best predictor of the loan choice. The nested logit model results show that audit and loan choices are independent; this is probably due to a low level of awareness about loan availability.

Residential Conservation Program Impacts

Participants in utility-sponsored residential conservation programs are systematically different from nonparticipants. As a result self-selection is an important validity threat in studies of conservation program impact. Three approaches to dealing with this self- selection bias are reviewed: (1) designs that use participants as a control group, (2) construction of a matched sample on the basis of predicted energy consumption values, and (3) multiple regression analysis. The advantages and disadvantages of each approach are discussed.

Determinants of program effectiveness: Results of the national weatherization evaluation

The findings of a national evaluation of the U.S. Department of Energys low-income Weatherization Assistance Program (“Program”) are used to explain variations in Program effectiveness. Overall, the Program was found to be a cost-effective federal investment. However, local weatherization agencies vary greatly in the effectiveness of their operators, and the energy saved by individual dwellings ranges widely. By applying four different analytic approaches, we identify several determinants of high energy savings, including the following: weatherizing high energy users; installing attic, wall, and floor insulation; insulating water heaters, installing low-flow showerheads, and reducing hot water temperatures; curing distribution system problems; and replacing inefficient heating systems. The installation of storm windows and doors, on the other hand, generally is associated with inferior savings. This paper demonstrates the value of using alternative but complementary qualitative and quantitative methods to identify determinants of Program effectiveness.

Participation of the elderly in residential conservation programmes

Abstract Although greater-than-average opportunities for residential energy-efficiency improvements exist among the elderly, most conservation programmes are not successful in reaching this subgroup. This paper reviews evidence on elderly participation in utility, federal and state programmes. Even though most of these programmes fail to attract elderly participants there are exceptions. The features and marketing strategies of successful programmes designed to reach the elderly include door-to-door canvassing with free installation of measures, recruitment and verification of eligibility through existing community groups, peer services and counselling by other senior citizens, shared savings programmes offered in retirement villages, and rebate programmes that offer highly visible measures with short paybacks. Although there are a few successful programmes, as a whole, coverage of the elderly by utility, federal and state programmes is limited and a large majority of the elderly receive no assistance.

The use of metaevaluation to plan evaluations of conservation programs

Abstract The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is sponsoring and will be required to evaluate a wide range of conservation programs. The development of evaluation plans for such programs can often be improved by reviewing evaluations that have been done on similar programs. The Residential Conservation Service (RCS), sponsored by DOE, is discussed as an example of how conducting metaevaluations can improve evaluation planning. Many utilities have sponsored programs that are similar to the RCS. A review of the utility program evaluations suggested key methodological issues and data problems that should be considered in the development of an RCS evaluation plan. The implications of these metaevaluation findings for an RCS evaluation plan are discussed.

The U.S. DOE least-cost utility planning program

This paper deals with the most significant accomplishments of recent projects sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energys Least-Cost Utility Planning Program. This overview, with its accompanying bibliography, is designed to make the resources of these projects, completed in 1989, widely accessible to utility planners and regulators. The most significant contributions of the projects relate to three areas: 1.(1) DSM technology assessments and database development,2.(2) assessments of current planning methods and future policy directions, and3.(3) consensus building and the development of organizational structures to support least-cost planning.