[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 60 (Wednesday, March 28, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18799-18801]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-7424]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
U.S. Energy Information Administration
Proposed Agency Information Collection
AGENCY: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Department of
Energy (DOE).
ACTION: Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Information
Collection; Notice and Request for Comments.
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SUMMARY: The EIA invites public comment on a proposed collection of
information that EIA is developing for submission to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995. The EIA is soliciting comments on the proposed reinstatement of
the Forms EIA-871A-J, ``2012 Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption
Survey.''
The Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Pub. L. 93-275, 15
U.S.C. 761 et seq.) and the DOE Organization Act (Pub. L. 95-91, 42
U.S.C. 7101 et seq.) require the EIA to carry out a centralized,
comprehensive, and unified energy information program. This program
collects, evaluates, assembles, analyzes, and disseminates information
on energy resource reserves, production, demand, technology, and
related economic and statistical information. This information is used
to assess the adequacy of energy resources to meet near and longer-term
domestic demands.
The EIA, as part of its effort to comply with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), provides
the general public and other Federal agencies with opportunities to
comment on collections of energy information conducted by or in
conjunction with the EIA. Any comments received help the EIA to prepare
data requests that maximize the utility of the information collected,
and to assess the impact of collection requirements on the public.
Also, the EIA will later seek approval by the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) under Section 3507(a) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995.
The Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) has been
conducted nine times covering the years 1979, 1983 and 1986 under the
name of the ``Nonresidential Buildings Energy Consumption Survey,'' and
years 1989, 1992, 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2007 under the current name,
``Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey.'' CBECS collects
baseline data on energy consumption and expenditures in commercial
buildings, and on the energy-related characteristics of those
buildings. To obtain this information, interviews are conducted for a
sample of commercial buildings representing the 50 States and the
District of Columbia. For buildings in the survey, data are collected
on the types, amount and cost of energy consumed in the building, how
the energy is used, structural characteristics of the buildings,
activities conducted inside the buildings that relate to energy use,
building ownership and occupancy, energy conservation measures, and
energy-using equipment. The information will be collected using
computer assisted interviewing for the 2012 CBECS; interviews will be
conducted both in-person and by telephone. For those buildings that
cannot provide energy consumption data for the building, the data will
be obtained in a follow-up survey (historically a mail survey) from the
suppliers of electricity, natural gas, fuel oil and/or district heat to
the building, after receiving permission from the building owner,
manager or tenant. This survey to the energy suppliers is mandatory.
The data obtained from the CBECS are available to the public in a
variety of EIA electronic tables and reports at http://www.eia.gov/emeu/cbecs. Public use files that have been screened to protect the
identity of the individual respondents are also available
electronically at the above web address. Selected data from the surveys
[[Page 18800]]
are also published in the Annual Energy Review.
DATES: Comments regarding this proposed information collection must be
received on or before May 29, 2012. If you anticipate difficulty in
submitting comments within that period, contact the person listed in
ADDRESSES below as soon as possible.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Joelle Michaels. To ensure receipt of the
comments by the due date, submission by email is recommended
(joelle.michaels@eia.gov). Comments may also be submitted by mail to
Joelle Michaels, Survey Manager, EI-22, Forrestal Building, U.S.
Department of Energy, Washington, DC 20585. Alternatively, Ms. Michaels
may be contacted by telephone at (202) 586-8952.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of the forms and instructions should be directed to Ms. Michaels
at the contact information given above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This information collection contains:
(1) OMB No. 1905-0145.
(2) Information Collection Request Title: EIA-871A-J, ``Commercial
Building Energy Consumption Survey''.
(3) Type of Request: Reinstatement with change, of a previously
approved collection for which approval has discontinued.
(4) Purpose: Need for and proposed use of the information: The EIA-
871A-J is used to collect data on energy consumption by commercial
buildings and the characteristics of these buildings. The surveys
fulfill planning, analyses and decision-making needs of DOE, other
Federal agencies, State governments, and the private sector.
Respondents are owners/managers of selected commercial buildings and
their energy suppliers. Response obligations are Voluntary (buildings)
and Mandatory (energy suppliers).
This will be a proposed reinstatement of a previously approved
collection and three-year clearance request to OMB. The content of the
2012 CBECS will be largely unchanged from the 2007 CBECS. The sampling
frame, which was redesigned for the 2003 CBECS, will be updated to
account for new construction since 2003.
The EIA proposes the following changes to EIA-871A-J, ``Commercial
Building Energy Consumption Survey'':
a. The sample size for the 2012 CBECS will be 50 percent larger
relative to the previous CBECS. The increase in sample size will allow
for fewer cell suppressions in published tables, better capture of
emerging energy phenomena, lower relative standard errors (RSEs) for
key statistics for publishable sample domains, more publishable data
for more principal building activities, and more releasable microdata
on the public use dataset.
b. Previous CBECS designs have relied on in-person personal
interviews for data collection. In 2007, field interviewers needed an
average of six contacts to complete a building interview; this process
can be time-consuming and costly when done in-person. For 2012, certain
respondents (large buildings for which contact information is usually
available) will be initially contacted by telephone. All respondents
will be given the option to complete the interview by phone. The
balance of interviews will remain personal interviews.
c. Water usage questions introduced in the 2007 will be revised and
remain in the 2012 CBECS. The Office of Wastewater Management within
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sponsored questions
related to water use on the 2007 CBECS. The water-energy use
connections are strong, and there is limited data about how water is
actually used in commercial buildings. Getting better information on
how water is used by commercial buildings is the first step toward
understanding commercial water use and the energy impact of that use.
The revisions to the water questions are based on extensive review by
EIA on the data that were collected in 2007. The proposed changes will
make the interview proceed more smoothly through the water questions
and result in cleaner data.
d. Based upon a recommendation from the National Academy of
Sciences, approximately 200 buildings will receive an ``energy audit.''
The main objective will be to support a cost and data quality
comparison between data collected by field interviewers and
professional energy auditors.
e. Based on review of the 2007 CBECS and consultation with data
users, refining and reformatting of the Building Questionnaire (Form
EIA-871A), Mall Building Questionnaire (EIA-871I) and the Mall
Establishment Questionnaire (EIA-871J) is occurring. Some changes have
been made already, and more are expected. For the 2012 CBECS
questionnaire, wording changes will be made, clarifying definitions
will be added, and response categories will be refined. Edits will be
added to the survey instrument to help preclude call-backs to
respondents.
(5) Annual Estimated Number of Respondents: 5,142.
(6) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses: 5,142.
(7) Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: 3,759.
(8) Annual Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0.
There are no additional costs to respondents associated with the survey
other than the costs associated with the burden hours.
Request for Comments
Prospective respondents and other interested parties should comment
on the actions discussed in item (4). The following guidelines are
provided to assist in the preparation of comments. Please indicate to
which form(s) your comments apply.
General Issues
A. Is the proposed collection of information necessary for the
proper performance of the functions of the agency and does the
information have practical utility? Practical utility is defined as the
actual usefulness of information to or for an agency, taking into
account its accuracy, adequacy, reliability, timeliness, and the
agency's ability to process the information it collects.
B. What enhancements can be made to the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be collected?
As a Potential Respondent to the Request for Information
A. What actions could be taken to help ensure and maximize the
quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of the information to be
collected?
B. Are the instructions and definitions clear and sufficient? If
not, which instructions need clarification?
C. Can the information be submitted by the due date?
D. Public reporting burden for this collection is estimated to
average approximately 55 minutes per interview for the building
respondent (Form EIA-871A), 25 minutes per interview for the mall
building respondent (Form EIA-871I), 45 minutes per interview for the
mall establishment respondent (Form EIA-871A), and approximately 30
minutes per energy supplier response in those cases where the data must
be collected from the energy suppliers (Forms EIA-871C-F). The
estimated burden includes the total time necessary to provide the
requested information. In your opinion, how accurate is this estimate?
E. The agency estimates that the only cost to a respondent is for
the time it will take to complete the collection. Will a respondent
incur any start-up costs for reporting, or any recurring
[[Page 18801]]
annual costs for operation, maintenance, and purchase of services
associated with the information collection?
F. What additional actions could be taken to minimize the burden of
this collection of information? Such actions may involve the use of
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
G. Does any other Federal, State, or local agency collect similar
information? If so, specify the agency, the data element(s), and the
methods of collection.
As a Potential User of the Information To Be Collected
A. What actions could be taken to help ensure and maximize the
quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of the information
disseminated?
B. Is the information useful at the levels of detail to be
collected?
C. For what purpose(s) would the information be used? Be specific.
D. Are there alternate sources for the information and are they
useful? If so, what are their weaknesses and/or strengths?
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of the form. They will
also become a matter of public record.
Statutory Authority: Section 13(b) of the Federal Energy
Administration Act of 1974, Public Law 93-275, codified at 15 U.S.C.
772(b).
Issued in Washington, DC, March 22, 2012.
Renee Miller,
Acting Director, Office of Survey Development and Statistical
Integration, U.S. Energy Information Administration.
[FR Doc. 2012-7424 Filed 3-27-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P