Renewable Energy PHA Question

Phase 1 of Baseline Assessment of Renewable Energy Capacity
within Public Housing Agencies

Welcome to the Baseline Assessment of Renewable Energy Capacity within Public Housing Agencies (PHAs). This survey is being conducted by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R), which provides reliable and objective research to help the Department make policy decisions.

This is phase one of a two-phase study that will assist the Department in meeting President Obama’s Climate Action Plan (CAP), which calls for the installation of 100 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy capacity by 2020 at LIHTC properties (Treasury), Rural Development properties (USDA), and public housing and multifamily-assisted properties (HUD). The study’s findings will be the Department’s first step in establishing targets to meet the CAP goal.

In an effort to minimize the burden on participants and increase response rate, this study is being conducted in two phases. The initial phase will be a brief questionnaire sent to all targeted PHAs. The second phase will be more in-depth and sent to the agencies that have indicated that they have (or there is informal evidence indicating that they have) installed renewable energy systems.

This survey was approved by the Office of Management and Budget [INSERT OMB CLEARANCE # AND EXP. DATE] and is estimated to take approximately 5 minutes to complete. If you have questions regarding the survey, please contact the study’s Helpline at XXX-XXX-XXXX or Renewables@hud.gov.

Guide to the Survey: This survey will ask if your agency has, has not, and/or plans to install renewable energy systems in the future as well as inquire about any challenges and/or barriers that may have been faced regarding these systems.

For the purposes of this survey, the Department is asking about energy that comes from natural resources that are continuously replenished, such as: sunlight, wind, geothermal heat, water, and biomass. In residential applications, energy derived from renewable energy systems is primarily associated with, but not limited to: solar (photovoltaic or solar thermal) power, geothermal heating, and wind power. Biomass, biofuel, and hydroelectric (water turbine) systems are less common renewable energy systems for residential applications.

The questions in this survey only relate to on-site renewable energy systems. Energy received from an off-site renewable energy sources, such as: renewable energy retail power markets, renewable energy utility providers, and/or renewable energy certificates (RECs), are not to be included in your agency’s responses.

Responses to this survey will be used for research purposes only and will NOT be used for compliance monitoring. Following collection and analysis, aggregated results will be published for all interested parties (independent of participation in the collection) to use.

Section A: Agency and Respondent Information

Reviewer Note: This section will be asked of all PHAs

*1. This section collects information about your agency as well as the name, title, and contact information for all individuals that assist in completing parts of the survey. In addition, please indicate which section(s) of the survey each respective person was responsible for answering. These details will inform the research team as to whom to contact if further clarification to a response is needed.

PHA Name:	______________________________
PHA Code:	______________________________
Your Name:	______________________________
Your Title:	______________________________
Your Phone Number:	______________________________
Your Email Address:	______________________________
Section(s) You Completed:	______________________________

2. If Second Respondent

Second Respondent's Name:	______________________________
Second Respondent's Name:	______________________________
Second Respondent's Title:	______________________________
Second Respondent's Phone Number:	______________________________
Second Respondent's Email Address:	______________________________
Section(s) Second Respondent Completed:	______________________________

3. If Third Respondent

Third Respondent's Name:	______________________________
Third Respondent's Name:	______________________________
Third Respondent's Title:	______________________________
Third Respondent's Phone Number:	______________________________
Third Respondent's Email Address:	______________________________
Section(s) Third Respondent Completed:	______________________________

*4. The research team is aware that some Executive Directors manage more than one public housing agency. For the individuals who fall into this category, they will receive multiple invitations to participate because this survey is designed to send an invitation to the Director of every agency within HUD’s PHA dataset.

In an effort to minimize the response burden placed on this subset of individuals, the research team provides participants the option of responding to one survey for multiple agencies.

Are you an Executive Director or personnel authorized to speak on behalf of the Director who manages more than one agency?

☐	Yes
☐	No	(SKIP TO Question 6)
☐	Don’t Know	(SKIP TO Question 6)

*5. Please specify the PHA Code for the additional agencies that you manage. Please separate each code by a comma (“,”) and blank space (“ “).

Additional Managed Agencies:

Section B: Your Agency's Renewable Energy Systems and related Decisions, Projected Plans, & Barriers regarding Renewable Energy Systems

Reviewer Note: This section will be asked of all PHAs

*6. Across your entire agency, do you have any installed renewable energy systems?

☐	Yes
☐	No
☐	Don’t Know

*7. Where do you get information to support your agency’s decisions on renewable energy systems? (Mark all that apply.)

Reviewer Note: The response choices will be randomized.

☐	HUD
☐	Peer Agencies
☐	Department of Energy (DOE)
☐	Local or State Energy Offices
☐	Energy Service Companies (ESCO)
☐	Consultants
☐	Retailers of Renewable Energy Systems
☐	Manufactures of Renewable Energy Systems
☐	Don’t Know
☐	Other (Please specify the resource): _____________________________

*8. In the future, do you plan to install any renewable energy systems within your agency?

☐	No
☐	In 1-2 years
☐	In 3-5 years
☐	In 6+ years
☐	Don’t Know
☐	Installation Underway

*9. Why did/will your agency choose to install renewable energy systems? (Mark all that apply.)

Your agency’s reasons may include, but are not limited to:

• Financial Reasons: Eliminate/Reduce Energy Costs, Lock-in Long Term Energy Costs, Increase Real Estate Value

• Environmental Reasons: Reduce Carbon Footprint, Use of Abundant Resources, Assist the U.S. in Moving Toward Energy Independence

• Social Reasons: Support ‘Green’ Job Creation, Commitment to the Planet and Community, Support the President’s Climate Action Plan

• Business Reasons: Become a Renewable Energy Provider, Improve Resident/Employee Morale, Competitive Edge Over other Housing Providers

Reviewer Note: The response choices will be randomized.

☐	Financial Reasons
☐	Environmental Reasons
☐	Social Reasons
☐	Business Reasons
☐	DO NOT intend to install any Renewable Energy Systems
☐	Other (Please specify the reason): _____________________________

*10. What barriers and/or challenges is/has your agency faced regarding the purchase (and/or lease) and installation of renewable energy systems? (Mark all that apply.)

Your agency’s experienced barriers and/or challenges may include, but are not limited to:

• Technical Barriers/Challenges: Design Issues, Installation Challenges, Lack of Familiarity, Operation & Maintenance Concerns

• Financial Barriers/Challenges: Up-front Costs, Lack of Access to Capital, Tax Credit Issues

• Administrative Barriers/Challenges: HUD Review and Approval, Permitting Issues, Interconnection Standards, Planning/Zoning Issues

Reviewer Note: The response choices will be randomized.

☐	Technical Barriers/Challenges
☐	Financial Barriers/Challenges
☐	Administrative Barriers/Challenges
☐	HAVE NOT Experienced any Barriers and/or Challenges
☐	Other (Please specify the barrier and/or challenge): _____________________________

Thank you for completing this survey!