SCC-IRG Track 1: Reducing Barriers to Residential Energy Security through an Integrated Case-management, Data-driven, Community-based approach

该智能互联社区(SCC)项目的目标是探索新的社会技术范式的有效性，以降低密歇根州底特律三个社区中低收入(LMI)家庭的住宅能源不安全。底特律是美国十大能源负担最高的城市之一，LMI家庭将收入的15%-30%用于能源成本(6%或更低被认为是负担得起的)。这项研究在新兴智能技术、个性化住宅能源管理方法和能价结构改革的设计、应用和测试中充分融入了社区视角，以实现成本节约、提高能源效率和节约能源、增强健康公平。这项研究涉及几个不同的领域：工程学、公共行政和公共卫生，并在所有重大决策和项目实施的社区参与性研究方法(CBPR)的指导下，积极让社区合作伙伴参与项目的所有方面。该项目创造的知识可以改进未来公用事业住宅能源计划的设计，增加电价的公平性，降低美国的整体能源消耗，从而减少我们对外国能源的依赖，促进更快地过渡到可再生能源，并提高电力行业的整体影响。该项目将促进社会成果，以促进社会和技术创新的知识，以促进智能和互联社区。其成果包括减少城市弱势人口的能源不安全和消费，增加LMI对能源效率和可再生能源项目的参与，妇女和代表不足的少数群体参与跨学科研究，以及促进有意义的学术社区参与。拟议的研究将在三个研究目标方面支持社会和技术创新的推进。首先，我们将开发和实施嵌入社区的能源案例管理干预措施，以促进参与公用事业能源项目。这项干预将吸引近200个参与家庭，通过引入能源案例经理(ECM)来评估对计划利用率、能源消耗和能源负担的影响，ECM负责招募家庭、制定个性化的能源改善计划(EIP)，并帮助家庭实施EIP。ECM将通过使用智能技术驱动的建议(即智能电表)来促进访问现有的公用事业项目。第二，发展社会技术方法，确定应被视为基本权利的家庭用电量。将开发使用智能电表数据来识别消费者基本电力需求的算法。社区焦点小组将使居民能够通过一个审议过程来考虑和定义依赖电力的家庭必需品，进一步了解我们对基本电力需求的理解。第三，我们利用第一项和第二项研究的知识，旨在开发一种新的电价模式，旨在实现以下目标：i)基本电力的免费水平，ii)补充电价以弥补公用事业提供商的成本，iii)动态稳定，以及iv)鼓励能效和可再生能源投资的电价。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The goal of this Smart and Connected Communities (SCC) project is to explore the efficacy of new social-technological paradigms to reduce residential energy insecurity for low- and moderate-income (LMI) households in three neighborhoods in Detroit, Michigan, which is one of the top ten highest energy burdened metros in the US, where LMI households spend 15 - 30% of their income on energy costs (6% or less is considered affordable). This research fully integrates community perspectives in the design, application and testing of emerging smart technologies, individualized residential energy management approaches, and energy rate structure reform to realize cost savings, improved energy efficiency and conservation, and enhanced health equity. The study draws from several distinct fields: engineering, public administration, and public health, and actively engages community partners in all aspects of the project guided by a community-based participatory research approach (CBPR) for all major decision-making and project implementation. The knowledge created by the project can improve the design of future utility residential energy programs, increase equity in electricity rates, and lower overall US energy consumption, thereby reducing our dependence on foreign energy sources, facilitating a faster transition to renewable energy sources, and improving the overall impact of the electricity sector. The project will foster societal outcomes to advance knowledge for social and technological innovations to promote smart and connected communities. The outcomes include reduced energy insecurity and consumption for disadvantaged urban populations, increased LMI participation in energy efficiency and renewable energy programs, participation of women and underrepresented minorities in interdisciplinary research, and advancement of meaningful academic communityengagement.The proposed study will support the advancement of social and technological innovation in three research aims. First, we will develop and implement a neighborhood-embedded energy case management intervention to facilitate participation in utility energy programs. This intervention will engage nearly 200 participant households, to evaluate the effect on program utilization, energy consumption, and energy burden with the introduction of an energy case manager (ECM) who recruits households, develops individualized energy improvement plans (EIP), and assists households to implement the EIP. The ECMs will facilitate accessing existing utility programs with the use of smart technology-driven recommendations (i.e. smart meters). Second, we will develop social-technological methods to determine the household-specific amount of electricity that should be considered a basic right. Algorithms will be developed that use smart meter data to identify consumers' basic electricity needs. Neighborhood focus groups will enable a deliberative process through which residents will consider and define electricity-dependent household necessities, further informing our understanding of basic electricity needs. Third, we use knowledge from the first and second research aims to develop a new electricity rate paradigm that seeks to achieve the following objectives: i) a free level of basic electricity, ii) supplemental electricity priced to cover utility provider costs, iii) dynamic stability, and iv) rates that encourage energy efficiency and renewable energy investments.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.