SUPPORTING STATEMENT FOR INFORMATION COLLECTION REQUEST NUMBER 2193.01: " INFORMATION COLLECTION ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATED WITH EPA'S ENERGY STAR ® PROGRAM IN THE RESIDENTIAL SECTOR"

April 21, 2006 Prepared by:

U. S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Air and Radiation Climate Protection Partnerships Division TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. IDENTIFICATION OF THE INFORMATION COLLECTION 1( a) Title of the Information Collection....................................................................... 1 1( b) Short Characterization and Abstract ..................................................................... 1 2. NEED FOR AND USE OF THE COLLECTION 2( a) Need and Authority for the Collection.................................................................. 9 2( b) Practical Utility and Users of the Data ............................................................... 10 3. NONDUPLICATION, CONSULTATIONS, AND OTHER COLLECTION CRITERIA 3( a) Nonduplication .................................................................................................. 13 3( b) Public Notice Required Prior to ICR Submission to OMB.................................. 14 3( c) Consultations ..................................................................................................... 14 3( d) Effects of Less Frequent Collection ................................................................... 14 3( e) General Guidelines ............................................................................................ 17 3( f) Confidentiality................................................................................................... 17 3( g) Sensitive Questions............................................................................................ 17 4. THE RESPONDENTS AND THE INFORMATION REQUESTED 4( a) Respondents and SIC Codes .............................................................................. 17 4( b) Information Requested....................................................................................... 19 5. THE INFORMATION COLLECTED C AGENCY ACTIVITIES, COLLECTION METHODOLOGY, AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT 5( a) Agency Activities .............................................................................................. 29 5( b) Collection Methodology and Management ......................................................... 33 5( c) Small Entity Flexibility...................................................................................... 33 5( d) Collection Schedule ........................................................................................... 33 6. ESTIMATING THE BURDEN AND COST OF THE COLLECTION 6( a) Estimating Respondent Burden .......................................................................... 35 6( b) Estimating Respondent Costs............................................................................. 35 ( i) Estimating Labor Costs .......................................................................... 36 ( ii) Estimating Capital and Operations and Maintenance ( O& M) Costs........ 36 6( c) Estimating Agency Burden and Cost.................................................................. 37 6( d) Estimating the Respondent Universe.................................................................. 37 6( e) Bottom Line Burden Hours and Cost Tables ...................................................... 44 ( i) Respondent Tally ................................................................................... 44 ( ii) Agency Tally.......................................................................................... 45 6( f) Reasons for Change in Burden........................................................................... 46 6( g) Burden Statement .............................................................................................. 47 EXHIBITS Exhibit 1: Estimated Annual Respondent Burden and Cost C ENERGY STAR Program: Joining the ENERGY STAR Program and Related Activities................................................................ 50 Exhibit 2: Estimated Annual Respondent Burden and Cost C ENERGY STAR Program: Program Evaluation .................................................................................................................. 52 Exhibit 3: Estimated Annual Respondent Burden and Cost C ENERGY STAR Program: Quarterly Reporting .................................................................................................................. 53 Exhibit 4: Estimated Annual Respondent Burden and Cost C ENERGY STAR Program: ENERGY STAR Awards .......................................................................................................... 54 Exhibit 5: Estimated Annual Respondent Burden and Cost C ENERGY STAR Program: Outreach Partnership................................................................................................................. 55 Exhibit 6: Estimated Annual Agency Burden and Cost C ENERGY STAR Program: Joining the ENERGY STAR Program and Related Activities...................................................................... 56 Exhibit 7: Estimated Annual Agency Burden and Cost C ENERGY STAR Program: Program Evaluation................................................................................................................................. 58 Exhibit 8: Estimated Annual Agency Burden and Cost C ENERGY STAR Program: Quarterly Reporting.................................................................................................................................. 60 Exhibit 9: Estimated Annual Agency Burden and Cost C ENERGY STAR Program: ENERGY STAR Awards .......................................................................................................................... 61 Exhibit 10: Estimated Annual Agency Burden and Cost C ENERGY STAR Program: Outreach Partnership................................................................................................................................ 62  2  TABLES Table 1: Table 1: Number of Lender Partners in Existence During Three Year Life of ICR                           ...... 38 Table 2: Number of Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Partners in Existence during Three Year Life of ICR............................................................................................................. 39 Table 3: Anticipated Evaluation Subjects to be Discussed with ENERGY STAR Home builder Partners..................................................................................................................................... 41 Table 4: Number of Verification Organization Partners in Existence during Three Year Life of ICR........................................................................................................................................... 42 Table 5: Number of Manufacturing Plant Partners in Existence During Three Year Life of CR.............................................................................................................. 43 Table 6: Number of Partners in Outreach Partnership in Existence During Three Year Life of ICR............................................................................................................. 44 Table 7: Total Estimated Respondent Burden and Cost Summary ............................................. 44 Table 8: Total Estimated Agency Burden and Cost Summary ................................................... 46  1  1. IDENTIFICATION OF THE INFORMATION COLLECTION 1( a) Title and Number of the Information Collection This ICR is entitled " Information Collection Activities Associated with EPA's ENERGY STAR ® Program in the Residential Sector," ICR number 2193.01. This ICR is a new ICR and is a non rule related ICR.

1( b) Short Characterization or Abstract ENERGY STAR ® is a voluntary energy efficiency labeling program aimed at forming public private partnerships that prevent air pollution rather than control it after its creation. The Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA) introduced ENERGY STAR in 1992 to label energy efficient computers. Since then, EPA and the Department of Energy ( DOE) have expanded the ENERGY STAR Program to promote energy efficiency in over 40 product categories such as office equipment and consumer electronics, and in commercial and residential buildings. President Bush has made ENERGY STAR a key element of his National Energy Policy and his climate change initiative. Increased energy efficiency through ENERGY STAR provides cost savings to businesses and consumers, reduces greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, and increases U. S. energy security and reliability.

This ICR examines information collection activities under the ENERGY STAR Program within the new home and existing home sectors. ENERGY STAR is part of EPA's Climate Protection Partnerships Division ( CPPD) within the Office of Air and Radiation ( OAR). EPA announced ENERGY STAR for New Homes in 1995 as part of its effort to promote energy efficient new home construction within the residential sector. EPA rolled out its existing homes effort in 1999 to promote cost effective energy efficiency upgrades to existing homes. These two efforts promote home envelope improvements such as the proper installation of adequate insulation, air sealing of holes and gaps into the home, and installation of energy efficient windows. In addition to the home envelope, EPA promotes energy efficient heating and cooling equipment, including sealing of leaky ducts that distribute the conditioned air. To date, over 500,000 ENERGY STAR qualified homes have been built in the U. S. This shift to more energy efficient homes is saving Americans an estimated $ 144 million in energy costs per year, reducing residential energy consumption by 75 million therms of natural gas and 989 million kWh of electricity, and is eliminating over 1 million metric tons of CO2 from the atmosphere each year.

Please note that the ENERGY STAR Program is jointly managed by EPA and DOE. Each agency leads work on different product categories, with EPA managing the residential building category. This ICR covers only those information collection activities undertaken by EPA's ENERGY STAR program to promote the construction and sale of energy efficient new homes and to improve the energy efficiency of existing homes. It does not cover activities that primarily support other federal, state, or local energy efficiency programs, public or private.

EPA believes collecting information from the public regarding ENERGY STAR in the residential sector is critical to the program's sustained success in forming and nurturing  2  voluntary agreements with the private sector to build and promote energy efficient homes. Partners view the ENERGY STAR label as a very effective marketing tool for highlighting the energy efficiency of their products, services, and homes to homebuyers and homeowners. In addition, ENERGY STAR provides partners with recognition as environmental leaders. Collecting information about partners and about ENERGY STAR's impact in the residential marketplace is necessary to ensure continued success and delivery of valuable benefits to partners such as market differentiation, competitive advantage, and public recognition.

Throughout ENERGY STAR's existence, EPA has attempted to streamline its information collection activities to focus on information needed to provide incentives and public recognition to organizations promoting ENERGY STAR ( e. g., ENERGY STAR Awards Program). EPA has done this by both reducing the amount of information collected from program participants and by utilizing technology ( i. e., web enabled databases) to more efficiently collect information. For example, EPA has utilized the Web to make tools and other resources readily available to help both organizations and consumers overcome the barriers to evaluating residential energy performance and investing in profitable improvements.

Because ENERGY STAR is a voluntary program, all information collection activities undertaken are of a voluntary nature. Respondents are not required to participate. Any information received to date has been submitted voluntarily to EPA. Sections 1 through 5 of this document describe the collections ( e. g., from the standpoint of need and use/ utility of the information collected). These sections also describe respondent and Agency activities. In Section 6, EPA estimates the total annual hour and cost burden to respondents and the Agency under the collections.

ENERGY STAR IN THE RESIDENTIAL SECTOR The ENERGY STAR Program for the residential sector consists of the following participant groups:

  Home Builders. This participant group includes production home builders, custom home builders, manufactured home builders, systems builders, and developers. Organizations of all sizes are encouraged to join the Program. Partners make a commitment to building and selling ENERGY STAR qualified homes.

  Verification Organizations. This participant group includes companies involved in independently verifying that homes meet ENERGY STAR guidelines for residential energy efficiency. They act as third party providers of home energy rating services who are independent from ENERGY STAR. There are two types of verification organizations that participate in ENERGY STAR as partners: certified home energy raters and accredited home energy rating providers. The manufactured home industry utilizes third party consultants called plant certifiers who certify a manufacturing plant's ability to consistently produce and install ENERGY STAR qualified manufactured homes. Plant certifiers are not  3  ENERGY STAR partners. Verification organizations are contractors hired by homebuilders to perform home energy ratings.

  Lenders. This participant group commits to deliver energy efficient mortgages ( EEMs) to buyers of ENERGY STAR qualified homes. These EEMs use the present value of future utility bill savings to qualify home buyers for a larger mortgage or more favorable loan terms than they could otherwise.

  Regional Energy Efficiency Program Sponsors ( REPS). This participant group includes utilities; national, regional, state, or local government entities; or other organizations involved in coordinating and/ or administering a publicly funded, energy efficiency program or environmental education campaign that promotes or intends to promote ENERGY STAR qualified homes.

  Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Partners. This participant group consists of utilities, state agencies, and local associations who sponsor and promote a program of whole house, building science based improvements to existing homes. The program itself emphasizes a bona fide whole house approach to energy efficiency, facilitation of the installation of recommended measures, diagnostic testing, and quality assurance.

In addition, on an informal basis other home industry professionals such as realtors, architects, and product manufacturers and retailers can promote ENERGY STAR and educate the public about the environmental and economic benefits of energy efficient homes.

The following paragraphs describe the information collections applicable to these groups.

JOINING THE ENERGY STAR PROGRAM AND RELATED ACTIVITIES Organizations interested in joining ENERGY STAR as a partner are asked to submit a Partnership Agreement that includes their basic address and contact information and describes their level of commitment to promoting ENERGY STAR qualified homes and residential energy efficiency. This partnership is activity based, thus partners are asked or encouraged to undertake certain responsibilities related to being an active ENERGY STAR partner and maintaining this active status, as described below. This information is entered into a database called iSTAR ( www. energystar. gov/ istar).

Home Builder Partners In order to join ENERGY STAR as a partner, home builders are asked to complete, sign, and submit a Partnership Agreement to EPA. These partners agree to build ENERGY STAR qualified homes and to promote ENERGY STAR and residential energy efficiency as options in preventing pollution, protecting the environment, and saving money on utility bills. The Agreement also gives home builders the option of committing to a higher level of participation. This includes an optional commitment to build all of their homes as ENERGY STAR qualified  4  homes, committing to offering ENERGY STAR's Advanced Lighting Package ( ALP) to home buyers, and committing to offering ENERGY STAR's Indoor Air Package ( IAP) to home buyers. ENERGY STAR provides special recognition for these optional commitments on its Web site. For both the ALP and IAP commitments there is one additional commitment form that the builder completes and signs.

Home Builder partners also agree to adhere to the terms of the Agreement. These include following ENERGY STAR's identity guidelines for utilizing the ENERGY STAR brand name and logos, and ENERGY STAR's Web linking guidelines for linking to partner's Web sites. Home Builder partners also agree to build at least one ENERGY STAR qualified home within 12 months of joining as a partner or risk forfeiting access to Partner only benefits such as the ENERGY STAR brand name and logos and being listed on the ENERGY STAR Web site. There is a cost associated with verifying the energy efficiency of a site built home for the ENERGY STAR label, whereby an independent home energy rater or rating provider is contracted by the builder to perform diagnostic tests on the home to verify whether its energy efficiency is high enough to meet ENERGY STAR's efficiency guidelines. If it is, the rater places the ENERGY STAR label on the home and the rating provider notifies ENERGY STAR of this activity each calendar quarter. The cost of verification is typically incurred by the home builder.

In lieu of an on site verification of the energy efficiency of each home, builders of ENERGY STAR qualified manufactured homes undertake a manufacturing plant certification process whereby the manufacturing plant develops and implements quality control procedures, both for the plant and for the installation crews who set up the home on site, to ensure that it is properly set up to consistently produce and install manufactured homes that can qualify for the ENERGY STAR label. This certification process takes on average three days. The certification process involves the use of a third party consultant who has been accredited by an EPAapproved quality assurance provider. This consultant examines the plant's manufacturing process for areas where production and installation techniques need to be changed to improve the energy efficiency of the manufactured home. To complete certification, the plant needs to produce three consecutive homes that meet ENERGY STAR guidelines. The end result of this process is the completion of a plant certification form by the third party consultant that states that the plant has been fully certified. This form is not provided to EPA but rather to an EPAapproved quality assurance provider. The cost of plant certification is incurred by the manufacturing plant. The plant also incurs a small cost for each ENERGY STAR qualified home it produces. The plant is also asked to keep a record of their plant certification on file, as well as a copy of quality control related documents for each ENERGY STAR qualified manufactured home produced, such as the completed site installation checklist. The plant also notifies ENERGY STAR of the number of ENERGY STAR qualified homes it has produced each quarter.

Verification Organization Partners In order to join ENERGY STAR as a partner, verification organizations are asked to complete, sign, and submit a Partnership Agreement to EPA. There are two types of verification  5  organizations. One is the certified rater, who is trained and certified by the Residential Energy Services Network ( RESNET), the governing body for home energy verification organizations, to analyze and evaluate the energy efficiency of homes and to assign a HERS ( Home Energy Rating System) rating to the home based on its estimated energy efficiency. Second is the accredited rating provider. The rating provider is accredited by RESNET and is responsible for overseeing the raters and for implementing quality control procedures among its associated raters.

Raters and rating providers act as third party contractors and are paid by homebuilders. These partners agree to qualify homes for the ENERGY STAR label and to promote ENERGY STAR and residential energy efficiency as options in preventing pollution, protecting the environment, and saving money on utility bills. These partners also agree to adhere to the terms of the Agreement, which include ENERGY STAR's identity guidelines for utilizing the ENERGY STAR brand name and logos, and ENERGY STAR's Web linking guidelines for linking to partner's Web sites. Verification Organization partners also agree to label at least one ENERGY STAR qualified home within 12 months of joining as a partner or risk forfeiting access to partner only benefits such as the ENERGY STAR brand name and logos and being listed on the ENERGY STAR Web site. Accredited Home Energy Rating Providers agree to submit to EPA each calendar quarter an online report via EPA's online reporting tool called HOST, indicating the number of ENERGY STAR qualified homes that were labeled. Also, by becoming a partner, Rating Providers agree to provide EPA with copies of rating reports upon request.

Regional Energy Efficiency Program Sponsors ( REEPS)

REEPS interested in joining ENERGY STAR are asked to complete and submit a Partnership Agreement and Commitment Form. This Partnership Agreement and Commitment Form are utilized by other areas within the ENERGY STAR Program since REEPS can promote energy efficiency in multiple sectors. In the Agreement they agree to use the Partnership and the ENERGY STAR Label in accordance with current ENERGY STAR logo use and Web linking guidelines to promote energy performance as an easy and desirable option for organizations and consumers to prevent pollution, protect the global environment, and save on energy bills. A REEP may promote ENERGY STAR any number of ways, for example by offering to reimburse home builders for the cost of getting a home verified for the ENERGY STAR label. On the separate Commitment Form they identify the ENERGY STAR program area( s) they agree to promote and fulfill, such as consumer products, new homes, or commercial buildings.

Lenders Lenders interested in joining ENERGY STAR are asked to complete and submit a Partnership Agreement. In the Agreement they agree to use the Partnership and the ENERGY STAR Label to promote energy performance as an easy and desirable option for organizations and consumers to prevent pollution, protect the global environment, and save on energy bills. The Partnership Agreement asks lenders to provide basic address and contact information, to specify the type of Energy Efficient Mortgage ( EEM) they will offer, and to describe the  6  methods they will utilize to promote EEMs and ENERGY STAR. Lenders commit to adhering to ENERGY STAR's Identity Guidelines and Web Linking Guidelines, as well as to inform ENERGY STAR of the number of EEMs written each calendar year. Lenders also commit to having one staff person who can process EEMs and can answer consumer questions about EEMs.

Home Performance Partners Home Performance partners are organizations that sponsor a program of whole house, building science based improvements to existing homes. These partners are typically a utility company, state agency, or a local association. Organizations interested in joining ENERGY STAR as Home Performance partners are asked to complete a Partnership Agreement. In the Agreement they commit to sponsoring a program that consists of a bona fide whole house approach, facilitation of the installation of recommended measures, diagnostic testing, and quality assurance. The Partnership form asks for basic address and contact information. In addition, the Partnership form asks partners to submit a plan to EPA each year for implementing the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR program, including a quality assurance plan and using the ENERGY STAR message and logos in marketing. Partners are also asked to submit to EPA on a quarterly basis, information about market indicators that summarize and quantify the market for energy efficiency home improvements. These market indicators include information such as the number of participating contractors, the number of Home Performance jobs completed, actual or estimated energy savings resulting from improvements made, and consumer and program costs. This information will allow EPA to track and evaluate the progress of Home Performance with ENERGY STAR and its Partners in promoting energy efficiency in existing homes.

EVALUATION EPA utilizes information collected from Partners and others in the home construction and improvement sectors to evaluate the impact of ENERGY STAR on the building, selling, and promotion of energy efficient new homes and the improvement of existing homes. This is to ensure that ENERGY STAR maximizes its ability to transform the market for energy efficient homes, and maintains its unique value in the marketplace as the symbol for energy efficient homes and products. The only way to do this is to evaluate how ENERGY STAR is being utilized and perceived within the residential sector by collecting feedback from those within the industry. There are three main areas of evaluation:

  Program Evaluation  feedback about the ENERGY STAR program and its outreach efforts, collected and utilized by EPA to assess and improve the effectiveness of the ENERGY STAR program in stimulating and transforming the market for energy efficient homes. One program evaluation activity includes gathering feedback from Partners on the effectiveness of ENERGY STAR's outreach materials such as its Sales Toolkit for home builders, used by builders to generate co branded marketing materials to promote ENERGY STAR qualified homes to homebuyers. EPA will use this feedback to make improvements to marketing and outreach materials to meet Partners' marketing and outreach needs. Another activity  7  includes collecting information from participants in Home Performance with ENERGY STAR to obtain feedback on their Partnership and on EPA's outreach efforts.

  Partner Evaluation  information about Partners' level of interest in ENERGY STAR, collected and utilized by EPA to assess Partners' level of knowledge of and participation in promoting ENERGY STAR qualified new homes and the improvement of existing homes. One partner evaluation activity includes contacting home lender and utility partners to determine their current incentive programs and level of knowledge about ENERGY STAR qualified homes and energy efficient home improvements. This information is used to update EPA's records of the Partner's current ENERGY STAR related incentive programs or other outreach programs being used to promote ENERGY STAR. This information is also provided to the public via the Internet to provide public access to incentives being offered for the purchase of ENERGY STAR qualified homes and improving the energy efficiency of existing homes.

  Market Evaluation  information about ENERGY STAR in the marketplace, collected and utilized by EPA to assess ENERGY STAR's impact on the market for energy efficient new and existing homes and the impact on residential energy demand. One market evaluation activity includes contacting home builders for their observations on the impact that ENERGY STAR has had on the supply and demand for ENERGY STAR qualified homes compared to non ENERGY STAR qualified homes. This information will be used to measure ENERGY STAR's impact on the supply and demand for energy efficient homes and to determine trends in the residential sector with respect to energy demand and energy efficiency.

While EPA has identified several specific topics for evaluation, the Agency has not yet developed specific questions or methods for collecting the information. EPA will determine these parameters based on a range of considerations ( e. g., the number of partners to be contacted, the number of questions to be asked, and the nature of the questions) at such time that it seeks to collect the information. EPA believes Partner feedback is essential for the Agency to ensure that the Program effectively meets Partners' needs in successfully building and promoting energy efficient homes, which in turn ensures that the Program meets EPA's goals of reducing residential energy consumption and reducing air pollution.

QUARTERLY REPORTING In order for EPA to track Partners' level of activity and give them credit for the ENERGY STAR qualified homes they build, label, and/ or sponsor, EPA collects basic information each calendar quarter about the number of qualified homes that Partners have built, labeled, and/ or sponsored. The Homes Online Submittal Tool ( HOST) ( www. energystar. gov/ host) is a password protected, online reporting form designed to allow Rating Provider Partners and Manufacturing Plant Partners to electronically submit readilyavailable and basic information about their ENERGY STAR qualified new homes at their convenience and from their own computers. Information collected includes: the name of the home builder ( or manufacturer), city and state of the home, name of the certified rater responsible for qualifying the home, name of the accredited rating provider, name of the retailer  8  ( only for manufactured homes), the names of any REPS or other sponsoring organizations, the name of the developer partner if applicable, the rating method used to qualify the home, and the number of qualified homes produced. The information submitted by Partners is reviewed by EPA and then accepted into ENERGY STAR's Partner database, the Integrated Strategic Tracking and Reporting ( iSTAR) database. This information is then displayed on the ENERGY STAR Web site to publicly recognize organizations and their level of activity in building, qualifying, and sponsoring ENERGY STAR qualified homes. Data fields to be added to HOST include a designation for home with the Advanced Lighting Package ( ALP) and homes containing the Indoor Air Package ( IAP). Until these data fields are added to HOST, EPA expects Partners to submit this information manually outside of HOST.

The final part of the reporting process is the option for Partners to order ENERGY STAR label stock from EPA. These labels are placed in all homes that have been qualified for the ENERGY STAR label. By combining the reporting and label ordering process into a single electronic, paperless, online system ( HOST) , EPA has minimized the reporting burden on Partners, while at the same time minimized its data entry error and maximized its data collection efficiency.

ENERGY STAR AWARDS Organizations interested in receiving recognition for their efforts in building, qualifying, and/ or sponsoring ENERGY STAR qualified homes may submit an application for an ENERGY STAR Award. These awards are handed out annually by EPA during the annual ENERGY STAR awards ceremony. The award application consists of a narrative description of the Partner's activities in promoting ENERGY STAR in the residential sector, its success stories, and a description of ENERGY STAR's impact on their business. The application may include photos or multimedia elements to illustrate to EPA the Partner's activities in promoting ENERGY STAR. EPA is currently issuing the following homes related awards for 2006 under the ENERGY STAR Program:

  Homes Partner of the Year  eligible organizations include home builder and verification organization Partners.   Excellence in Affordable Housing  eligible organizations include governments, nonprofits and non governmental organizations and others who promote ENERGY STAR in affordable housing.   Excellence in Home Improvement  eligible organizations include utilities, state agencies, and local associations.

OUTREACH PARTNERSHIP Partners have the option of participating in an outreach partnership, whereby Partners contribute resources to the development and distribution of a public outreach and education campaign about ENERGY STAR qualified homes. A one page commitment form is completed by the Partners and submitted to EPA. This form requests Partner contact information as well as the amount of resources to be provided and details about the type of media to be used for the  9  outreach campaign. It also asks Partners to submit a corporate logo for inclusion in the outreach materials. EPA prepares a print campaign that partners use to co brand with ENERGY STAR.

The Outreach Program involves coordination and implementation by local Partners to develop and distribute the outreach materials as well as recruit showrooms. EPA works closely with Partners in interested markets to help facilitate a successful campaign.

2. NEED FOR AND USE OF THE COLLECTION 2( a) Need and Authority for the Collection Section 103( a) of the Clean Air Act authorizes EPA to establish " a national research and development program for the prevention and control of air pollution." As part of such a program, EPA is to " conduct and promote the coordination and acceleration of research, investigations, experiments, demonstrations, surveys, and studies relating to the causes, effects ( including health and welfare effects), extent, prevention and control of air pollution." Section 103( a)( 1).

In addition, as a component of the program, section 103( g) directs the Administrator to " conduct a basic engineering research and technology program to develop, evaluate, and demonstrate nonregulatory strategies and technologies for air pollution prevention." The section calls on the Administrator to provide opportunities for industry, public interest groups, scientists, and other interested persons to participate in strategy development. Section 103( g) further directs EPA to include as elements in the program " improvements in nonregulatory strategies and technologies for preventing or reducing multiple air pollutants including sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, heavy metals, PM 10 ( particulate matter), carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide..." The strategies and technologies are to improve various air pollutant reduction and nonregulatory control strategies, including energy conservation.

The ENERGY STAR ® Program is one component of the Administrator's response. President Bush has made ENERGY STAR a key element of his National Energy Policy and his climate change initiative. ENERGY STAR Partners help promote efficient homes by building and labeling qualifying homes with the ENERGY STAR label and by improving the efficiency of existing homes. The label provides an easy way for consumers to identify energyefficient homes and products that save money on utility bills and reduce air pollution. By using less energy, these homes and products help reduce the demand to create power, which is typically generated by power plants that burn fossil fuels. As such, they help reduce air pollutants such as sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide that are generated by these stationary sources. ENERGY STAR demonstrates how providing consumer information and public recognition can be used as a nonregulatory strategy to prevent and control air pollution.

The information collection activities described in this ICR are necessary in order for EPA to track and analyze the market for energy efficient homes, which allows EPA to design its ENERGY STAR outreach programs and public education materials to fit the needs of its Partners, as well as to provide public recognition and market differentiation to participating organizations. Because some of the collection activities involve small businesses, EPA will limit  10  collection activities where a minimum amount of information is sufficient for EPA to complete its work. This ICR will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small businesses. The following section explains the need for each major information collection activity included in this ICR.

2( b) Practical Utility and Users of the Data JOINING THE ENERGY STAR PROGRAM AND RELATED ACTIVITIES EPA's primary source of information about its ENERGY STAR partners comes from the Partnership Agreement form that Partners complete in order to join the ENERGY STAR Program. Depending on the respondent, there are certain information collection activities and additional forms related to becoming a Partner. The purpose of these activities, the users of this information, and any additional forms associated with these activities are described below.

Partnership Agreement EPA uses information submitted in its ENERGY STAR Partnership Agreement to officially establish an organization's participation in ENERGY STAR and to provide organizations with public recognition of their ENERGY STAR Partnership. Address and contact information from the Agreement are entered into the iSTAR ( Integrated Strategic Tracking and Reporting) database to serve as a source of general information and as a contact list for updating Partners on information relevant to their ENERGY STAR Partnership. EPA uses the Partnership Agreement to enforce its trademark of the ENERGY STAR name and logos, to commit Partners to verifying the energy efficiency of every home that receives an ENERGY STAR label, as well as committing Partners to providing EPA with verification information upon request.

The Agreement also gives Builder Partners the option of making a commitment to building 100% of their homes to ENERGY STAR guidelines, offering ENERGY STAR's Advanced Lighting Package ( ALP) in their homes, and/ or offering ENERGY STAR's Indoor Air Package ( IAP). These additional commitments can be made by the Partner simply by initializing the applicable section of the Agreement. The ALP commitment entails the optional completion of an ALP Builder Verification Form that is completed by a third party builder inspector. This form is provided to the home buyer as written proof that a builder has installed the ALP as intended. The IAP commitment entails the completion of a commitment form ( discussed below) by the home builder that is then returned to EPA. This form asks the builder to submit marketing materials to EPA for review and approval, and to provide EPA with an informal evaluation of the builder's experience with the IAP.

Information provided on the Partnership Agreement is entered into iSTAR and used to provide Builder Partners additional recognition on the ENERGY STAR Web site's Partner Locator Tool ( www. energystar. gov/ homes), which is accessed by those in the home building industry as well as by home buyers searching for ENERGY STAR partners in their state. Information from the Agreement is also used by EPA to generate usernames and passwords used  11  by Partners to access " Partner Only" resources on the ENERGY STAR Web site, such as downloading Partner only logos and accessing the online reporting tool, HOST.

Indoor Air Package ( IAP) Commitment Form EPA will use information provided on the IAP commitment form to provide public recognition to partners that are offering the IAP in their new homes. EPA will also use this information to track the activities of builders building homes containing the IAP to make sure they are correctly implementing the IAP.

Manufactured Housing Plant Certification Information collected and maintained as part of a manufactured housing partner's plant certification process is used by EPA and the manufacturing plants themselves to ensure that a manufacturing plant is ready and able to consistently produce homes that are ready for ENERGY STAR qualification and that these homes are installed properly and according to ENERGY STAR guidelines. This in turn protects the brand recognition and value associated with the ENERGY STAR name and logo in the residential sector. This information is also used by the plants to correct any problems that arise during the production and installation process. A plant certification form is completed as written confirmation of the plant's certification. The certification form is not an EPA form and is not submitted to EPA. The form belongs to an EPA approved third party quality assurance provider. A copy of the form is maintained by the plant itself.

Verification of Home's Energy Efficiency for the ENERGY STAR Label Information collected and maintained as part of a verification organization's process for verifying the energy efficiency of an ENERGY STAR qualified home on behalf of a homebuilder is used by the verification organization, the home builder, and EPA to ensure that a home receiving an ENERGY STAR label meets EPA's guidelines for residential energy efficiency. This serves to protect the integrity of the ENERGY STAR brand by providing independent, third party verification of all ENERGY STAR qualified homes. The information is not submitted to EPA but rather is maintained by the verification organization and the homebuilder in the form of a home energy rating report, which is generated by the verification organization. EPA may request a copy of the final rating report if there is a need to become involved in resolving questions concerning the ENERGY STAR status of a home.

Home Energy Rating Reports Home energy rating reports generated by verification organizations are provided to EPA only upon request, when EPA needs to assist in resolving disputes regarding the ENERGY STAR status of a home. The information contained in the rating report is a necessary part of a dispute resolution process that the verification organizations and EPA utilize to handle complaints made by homeowners about their ENERGY STAR qualified homes. The rating reports provide an independent source of energy efficiency information about a home that can be  12  used to address energy performance issues related to the home's designation as an ENERGY STAR qualified home.

The Number of Energy Efficient Mortgages ( EEMs) Written EPA uses information collected from lender Partners on the annual number of EEMs written to track and monitor the market for EEMs and to analyze the impact of EEMs on the market for ENERGY STAR qualified homes and energy efficient improvements to existing homes.

Commitment Form for Regional Energy Efficiency Program Sponsors ( REEPS)

Information contained on the commitment form completed by REEPS as part of their partnership agreement will be used by EPA to determine what ENERGY STAR program areas the partner can sponsor and promote. REEPS can only use the ENERGY STAR name and logos to promote program areas for which they are committed to via the commitment form.

Implementation Plan for Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Partners EPA will use the program implementation plan that is prepared and submitted by Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Partners to ensure that these Partners have a realistic plan to manage and consistently deliver a program for making whole house energy efficiency improvements and for sourcing contractors who can perform this work. EPA will refer to this plan when verifying a Partner's program for delivering the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR to its customers.

Web Designs and Materials The partnership agreement for Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Partners requests that they submit Web designs and content containing ENERGY STAR information to EPA for approval. EPA uses this information to effectively monitor and protect the use of the ENERGY STAR logos and brand name.

Market Indicators for Home Performance with ENERGY STAR EPA will use information provided by Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Partners on the program's effect on the market for whole house energy efficiency improvements to track and monitor the program's progress in promoting energy efficient home improvement projects.

Changes in Referral Network for Home Performance with ENERGY STAR EPA will use information about contractor referral networks providing products and services related to Home Performance with ENERGY STAR to keep track of contractors qualified to perform Home Performance jobs and to provide this information to the public.  13  EVALUATION EPA will use information collected from Partners and others in the new home construction and home improvement sectors to evaluate the impact of ENERGY STAR on the building, selling, and promotion of energy efficient new homes and the improvement of existing homes. EPA will also use this information to improve its ability to serve the needs of those in the home construction and home improvement industries who wish to build and promote energy efficient homes. This collection activity will ensure that ENERGY STAR maintains its brand value in the marketplace as the symbol for energy efficient homes and products, and that its education and outreach efforts are well designed and targeted and properly executed given current market conditions.

This evaluation information may also be used by EPA or shared with other organizations as part of public outreach or education campaigns promoting the environmental and economic benefits of energy efficient new and existing homes.

QUARTERLY REPORTING EPA will use the information obtained via the quarterly reporting process to: generate estimates of the amount of energy and air pollution saved from ENERGY STAR qualified homes, generate short and long term goals for energy and air pollution reduction that will feed into the budget formulation process for ENERGY STAR, and to determine Partners who are deserving of special recognition via EPA's ENERGY STAR Awards, Achievement Awards, and other special recognition programs. This information is also used by EPA to inform the public as to the progress being made in reducing residential energy use and in reducing air pollution.

ENERGY STAR AWARDS Information collected from Partners via the ENERGY STAR Awards application process will be used by EPA to evaluate the level of activity and brand support provided by Partners and to determine which Partners will earn an ENERGY STAR award in the various award categories being offered. This information will also be used by EPA as part of its efforts to promote ENERGY STAR and the successes achieved by organizations that have committed themselves to promoting energy efficient homes. The awards themselves will be used by Partners to promote their success as a Partner.

OUTREACH PARTNERSHIP The information collected on the commitment form used by Partners to participate in the Outreach Partnership campaign is used by EPA as an agreement between EPA and Partners as to the terms of the outreach campaign to be co developed. This includes the type of media to be used and the resources to be contributed by all Partners towards the campaign.

3. NONDUPLICATION, CONSULTATIONS, AND OTHER COLLECTION  14  CRITERIA 3( a) Nonduplication The information collected under this ICR has not been collected by EPA or any other federal agency. In addition, the requested information is based on a particular point in time; therefore, information that is not up to date is not sufficient. CPPD will ensure that information collected will not duplicate any ongoing recordkeeping or reporting functions required for participation in any of CPPD's programs.

3( b) Public Notice Required Prior to ICR Submission to OMB To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act requirement that any agency developing a non rule related ICR solicit public comments for a 60 day period, EPA published a Federal Register notice on August 11, 2005 ( 70 FR 46836). No comments were received on this notice.

3( c) Consultations In preparing this ICR, EPA did not conduct industry or State consultations. Because EPA works closely with ENERGY STAR participants, the Agency already has a good idea of the time needed to carry out its information collections. Therefore, EPA relied on the expertise of Agency staff in developing the ICR's hour and cost assumptions. In addition, the Agency accessed its current databases ( e. g., iSTAR) and documentation to estimate the number of respondents and activities. The Agency's data sources are kept up to date based on participant submittals ( e. g., submittals of Partnership Agreements, quarterly reports) and therefore are the most reliable sources for estimation purposes.

3( d) Effects of Less Frequent Collection JOINING THE ENERGY STAR PROGRAM AND RELATED ACTIVITIES Partnership Letter or Agreement The Partnership Agreement is submitted to EPA on a one time basis; less frequent collection is not possible.

Indoor Air Package ( IAP) Commitment Form The Indoor Air Package commitment form is submitted to EPA on a one time basis; less frequent collection is not possible.

Manufactured Housing Plant Certification Form The manufactured housing plant certification form is a form owned by an EPA approved quality assurance provider who oversees all quality processes involved in producing and  15  installing ENERGY STAR qualified manufactured homes. This form is submitted to the EPAapproved third party quality assurance provider on a one time basis, once the manufacturing plant has completed its ENERGY STAR plant certification process; less frequent collection is not possible.

Verify Home's Energy Efficiency for the ENERGY STAR Label Verification of a home's energy efficiency occurs when a site built home builder or manufactured home producer wants to apply the ENERGY STAR label on a home. This process is necessary to ensure the quality of the home with respect to ENERGY STAR's guidelines for energy efficiency. A site built home's energy efficiency is verified two ways. One way is to test each home individually. The other is to use a sampling protocol that allows one home in a group of seven similar homes to be tested. If the one home meets ENERGY STAR guidelines the other homes in the sample do as well. In addition, a manufactured home's energy efficiency features are inspected on site before the ENERGY STAR label is applied. Less frequent collection for site built and manufactured homes would hinder EPA's ability to verify the energy efficiency of each home and would have a negative impact on ENERGY STAR's brand value as the symbol for energy efficiency.

Home Energy Rating Report Home energy rating reports are owned by verification organizations and are not submitted to EPA unless requested by EPA from the verification organization in response to a homeowner complaint. In this case, the home energy rating report is submitted to EPA upon EPA's request. Less frequent collection would hinder EPA's ability to confirm the energy efficiency of ENERGY STAR qualified homes when necessary and to respond to homeowner complaints about the energy performance of ENERGY STAR qualified homes.

Annual Update on Energy Efficient Mortgages ( EEMs)

Lender Partners submit the number of EEMs written once per year. Less frequent collection would not allow EPA to evaluate the supply and demand for EEMs in a timely manner, thus reducing EPA's ability to meet the needs of its lender Partners.

Commitment Form for Regional Energy Efficiency Program Sponsors ( REEPS)

The commitment form submitted to EPA by REEPS upon joining ENERGY STAR is done on a one time basis; less frequent collection is not possible.

Implementation Plan for Home Performance with ENERGY STAR A plan for implementing Home Performance with ENERGY STAR is submitted by Partners on a one time basis; less frequent collection is not possible.

Web Designs and Materials  16  Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Partners submit Web designs and content containing ENERGY STAR information on an as needed basis. Less frequent collection would not allow EPA to effectively monitor and protect the use of the ENERGY STAR logos and brand name.

Quarterly Updates of Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Activity Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Partners submit information about market indicators that summarize and quantify the market for energy efficiency home improvements. This information is necessary for EPA to track and evaluate the progress of Home Performance with ENERGY STAR and its Partners and to make timely changes to its outreach efforts based on this information. Less frequent collection would prevent EPA from meeting the outreach needs of its Partners in marketing Home Performance with ENERGY STAR to the public.

Changes in Referral Network for Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Partners submit updates to their contractor referral network on an as needed basis. Less frequent collection would not allow EPA to keep track of contractors qualified to perform Home Performance jobs and would not allow EPA to provide this information to the public.

EVALUATION EPA will ask selected Partners to provide feedback on their participation in promoting ENERGY STAR in the residential sector, on ENERGY STAR's impact on the market for energy efficient homes and home improvement solutions, and on ENERGY STAR's policies and outreach initiatives. EPA expects to collect information on these issues an average of once a year from selected Partners. Collection of information any less frequent than this would greatly reduce the robustness and timeliness of the information, thus minimizing EPA's ability to serve the needs of its Partners and to maximize the energy savings and pollution reductions that are possible via voluntary partnerships with organizations within the residential construction and home improvement sectors. It would also hinder EPA's ability to quantify the economic and environmental costs and benefits associated with building ENERGY STAR qualified homes and improving the energy efficiency of existing homes. This information is used by EPA to determine its progress in reducing energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions via ENERGY STAR Partnerships.

QUARTERLY REPORTING Quarterly reports are submitted each calendar quarter ( four times a year). Less frequent collection would cause delays in tracking the number of ENERGY STAR qualified homes built, which would prevent EPA from having a robust database of up to date information on the number of ENERGY STAR qualified homes built, the amount of energy reduced, and the amount of greenhouse gases removed from the air. This in turn would cause the ENERGY  17  STAR Web site, which displays information contained in the database, to be outdated. It would also prevent EPA from effectively protecting the ENERGY STAR brand because it would not have access to current data used to determine active Partners who are actively promoting ENERGY STAR versus inactive Partners who are not promoting ENERGY STAR.

ENERGY STAR AWARDS The ENERGY STAR award applications are submitted to EPA on an annual basis. Less frequent collection would prevent EPA from obtaining current year information on Partners and would prevent EPA from providing annual public recognition to outstanding Partners.

OUTREACH PARTNERSHIP The Outreach Partnership commitment form is submitted to EPA on an annual basis in conjunction with each year's ENERGY STAR for Homes outreach campaign. Less frequent collection would prevent Partners from participating in the partnership each year and from gaining annual public recognition from this participation.

3( e) General Guidelines Information collections performed under this clearance will follow all of OMB's General Guidelines regarding federal data collection.

3( f) Confidentiality Participation in the ENERGY STAR Program is voluntary and may be terminated by participants or EPA at any time. EPA does not expect to deem any information collected under the Program to be CBI ( Confidential Business Information).

3( g) Sensitive Questions The information collections do not ask sensitive questions, such as those pertaining to sexual attitudes or behavior or religious beliefs. No questions of a sensitive nature are asked of participants with ENERGY STAR.

4. THE RESPONDENTS AND THE INFORMATION REQUESTED 4( a) Respondents and SIC Codes Respondents for this information collection request include Partners in ENERGY STAR. Partners include homebuilders, verification organizations, lenders, utilities, and regional energy efficiency program sponsors, The following is a list of Standard Industrial Classification ( SIC) codes and corresponding North American Industry Classification System ( NAICS) codes for industry segments which may be affected by information collections covered under this ICR for the ENERGY STAR Program.  18  SIC NAICS Industries 1521 233320 General Contractors Single Family Houses 1522 233220 General Contractors Residential Buildings, Other Than Single Family Industry 1531 233210, Operative Builders 233310 1541 233310 General Contractors Industrial Buildings and Warehouses 1542 233320 General Contractors Nonresidential Buildings, Other than Industrial Buildings and Warehouses 1711 235110 Plumbing, Heating And Air conditioning 1721 235210 Painting and Paper Hanging Industry Group 1731 235310 Electrical Work 1741 235410 Masonry, Stone Setting, and Other Stone Work 1742 235420 Plastering, Drywall, Acoustical, and Insulation Work 1743 235430 Terrazzo, Tile, Marble, and Mosaic Work Industry Group 1751 235510 Carpentry Work 1752 235520 Floor Laying and Other Floor Work, Not Elsewhere Classified 1761 235610 Roofing, Siding, and Sheet Metal Work Industry Group 1771 235710 Concrete Work Industry Group 1781 235810 Water Well Drilling 1791 235910 Structural Steel Erection 1793 235920 Glass and Glazing Work 1794 235930 Excavation Work 1795 235940 Wrecking and Demolition Work 1796 235950 Installation or Erection of Building Equipment, Not Elsewhere 1799 235990 Special Trade Contractors, Not Elsewhere Classified 4911 221122, Electric Services 221121 4922 486210 Natural Gas Transmission 4923 221210 Natural Gas Transmission and Distribution 4924 221210 Natural Gas Distribution 4925 221210 Mixed, Manufactured, or Liquefied Petroleum Gas Production and/ or 4931 221112, Electric and Other Services Combined 221111, 221113, 221119 4932 221210 Gas and Other Services Combined 4939 221112, Combination Utilities, Not Elsewhere Classified 221122 4961 221330 Steam And Air conditioning Supply 6021 522110 National Commercial Banks 6022 522190 State Commercial Banks 6029 522110 Commercial Banks, Not Elsewhere Classified 6035 522120 Savings Institutions, Federally Chartered  19  6036 522120 Savings Institutions, Not Federally Chartered 6061 522130 Credit Unions, Federally Chartered 6062 522130 Credit Unions, Not Federally Chartered 6111 522294 Federal and Federally Sponsored Credit Agencies 6162 522390 Mortgage Bankers and Loan Correspondents 522292 6163 522310 Loan Brokers 6531 531320 Real Estate Agents and Managers 7389 541350 Business Services Not Elsewhere Classified 7623 811412 Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Service and Repair Shops 8712 541310 Architectural Services 9531 925110 Administration of Housing Programs 9532 925120 Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development 4( b) Information Requested The information collected by EPA differs depending on the specific collection activity as well as the respondent type. Therefore, this section describes the data items used and the associated respondent activities based on the respondent type within each major collection activity.

JOINING THE ENERGY STAR PROGRAM AND RELATED ACTIVITIES Organizations interested in joining ENERGY STAR as Partners are asked to submit a Partnership Agreement describing their commitment to promoting ENERGY STAR qualified homes and residential energy efficiency. They also may be asked or encouraged to undertake related activities, as described below.

Home Builders This Partner group includes production home builders, custom home builders, manufactured home builders, systems home builders, and developers. Organizations of all sizes are encouraged to join the Program. Partners make a commitment to building and selling ENERGY STAR qualified homes.

( i) Data Items   A Partnership Agreement that includes the following information:   Organization's name, address, phone number, fax number, and Web site;   Major metro areas served;   Name, title, phone number, and e mail of the Marketing/ Sales contact;   Name, title, phone number, and e mail of the Purchasing/ Construction contact;   Name, title, e mail, and signature of the authorized company  20  representative, and date of signature;   Type of home builder ( site built, developer, or manufactured home builder;   Average number of homes built per year;   Initials of the signatory indicating the selection of the 100% commitment ( optional);   Initials of the signatory indicating the selection of the Advanced Lighting Package ( ALP) ( optional); and   Initials of the signatory indicating the selection of the Indoor Air Package ( IAP) ( optional)

  If Partner commits to the Indoor Air Package ( IAP), a supplemental IAP Commitment Form is requested that includes the following:   Builder's name and address;   Date; and   Authorized representative's name, title, and signature   Manufactured home builder Partners undergo a plant certification process that culminates in completing a supplemental manufacturing plant certification form that includes the following:   Name, address, phone number, e mail, fax number of the plant certifier;   Signature of plant certifier;   Date of signature;   Name and address of the manufacturing plant;   Method used for achieving certification;   Indication that homes were tested in the plant for duct tightness   Indication that site installation checklists were completed for each home   Indication that homes were field tested   Indication that the plant has incorporated necessary quality control measures   As part of their partnership agreement, manufactured home partners verify the energy efficiency of their homes in order to qualify for the ENERGY STAR label. This involves collecting and maintaining information about their ENERGY STAR qualified homes including:   Information about the ENERGY STAR design features of the home;   Model number, serial number, owner, retailer, and location of each qualified home;   Date home was installed;   Site installation checklists for each qualified home that identify items in the ENERGY STAR design package and that were installed and verified at the time of home installation in the field;   Reports of nonconformance with ENERGY STAR design and installation standards and corrective actions taken;  21    Results of random field inspections conducted by third party consultant $ Site built homebuilders contract with verification organizations to collect energy efficiency data on each ENERGY STAR qualified home they build, including:

$ Level of air leakage for the whole house $ Level of air leakage through the duct system $ Window to floor area ratio $ Description of insulation levels, windows, HVAC equipment $ Predicted level of energy use for heating, cooling, and water heating ( ii) Respondent Activities   To join ENERGY STAR, organizations are asked to:

$ Download the Partnership Agreement from ENERGY STAR's Web site;

$ Review all instructions and commitments of the Partnership Agreement;

$ Complete, sign, and date the Partnership Agreement; and $ Return the completed Partnership Agreement to EPA via mail, fax, or email $ As a related activity, if the Partner has made a commitment to the IAP, the Partner:

$ Downloads the IAP Commitment form from the ENERGY STAR Web site;

$ Reviews the IAP Commitment form and completes, signs, and dates the form; and $ Returns the form to EPA via mail or fax.

$ As a related activity, manufactured home builder partners:

$ Download the plant certification form from ENERGY STAR's Web site;

$ Completes the form; and $ Submit the supplemental plant certification form to an EPA approved third party quality assurance provider via fax, e mail, or regular mail.

$ As a related activity, manufactured home builder partners collect and maintain information on each home that receives the ENERGY STAR label, including site installation information and results from random field checks.

$ As a related activity, builders of site built homes contract with verification organizations to collect energy efficiency data on each ENERGY STAR qualified home. This entails:

$ inputting information about the home's energy efficiency characteristics into a computer $ generating a summary report $ completion of the thermal bypass checklist  22  Verification Organizations This Partner group includes organizations involved in independently verifying that homes meet ENERGY STAR guidelines for residential energy efficiency. They act as third party, independent providers of home energy rating services. There are two main types of verification organization Partners that participate in ENERGY STAR: certified home energy raters and accredited home energy rating providers.

( i) Data Items $ A Partnership Agreement that includes the following information:

$ Organization's name, address, phone number, fax number, and Web site;

$ Major metro areas served;

$ Name, title, phone number, and e mail of the marketing/ sales contact;

$ Name, title, phone number, and e mail of the purchasing/ construction contact;

$ Name, title, e mail, and signature of the authorized company representative, and date of signature;

$ Whether they are a home energy rater or rating provider. If a rater, they are asked to provide the name of their associated rating provider $ A home energy rating report or relevant Builder Option Package ( BOP) for any qualified home upon EPA's request that includes, at a minimum, the following:

$ Name of the home builder;

$ Address of the home;

$ Name of the home energy rater;

$ Date of home energy rating; and $ Numerical home energy rating assigned to the home ( ii) Respondent Activities $ To join ENERGY STAR, organizations are asked to:

$ Download the Partnership Agreement from ENERGY STAR's Web site;

$ Review the instructions and commitments of the Partnership Agreement;

$ Complete, sign, and date the Partnership Agreement; and $ Return the partnership agreement to EPA via mail, fax, or e mail $ As a related activity, the Partner verifies the energy efficiency of homes by collecting data on the home and summarizing findings in a rating report $ As a related activity, the Partner makes a copy of a home energy rating report or relevant Builder Option Package ( BOP) for any qualified home and fax, mail, or e mail it to EPA upon request by EPA. This report  23  contains information about a home's energy efficiency for heating, cooling, and water heating.

Lenders This Partner group commits to deliver energy efficient mortgages ( EEMs) to buyers of ENERGY STAR qualified homes and to homeowners wishing to finance energy efficiency improvements to existing homes. These loans use the present value of future utility bill savings to provide loan applicants more favorable loan terms, such as qualifying home buyers for a larger loan.

( i) Data Items $ A Partnership Agreement that includes the following information:

$ Organization's name, phone number, and Web site;

$ States served;

$ Types of Energy Efficient Mortgages offered;

$ Description of methods to be used to promote EEMs and ENERGY STAR;

$ Name, title, address, phone number, fax number, e mail, and signature of the authorized company representative; and $ Date of signature ( ii) Respondent Activities $ To join ENERGY STAR, organizations are asked to:

$ Download the Partnership Agreement from ENERGY STAR's Web site;

$ Review the instructions and commitments of the Partnership Agreement;

$ Complete, sign, and date the Partnership Agreement; and $ Return the Partnership Agreement to EPA via mail or fax $ A related activity is providing an annual update on the number of EEMs written Regional Energy Efficiency Program Sponsor ( REEPS) Partners This Partner group includes utilities; national, regional, State, or local government entities; or other organizations involved in coordinating and/ or administering an energyefficiency program or environmental education campaign that promotes or intends to promote ENERGY STAR qualified homes.

( i) Data Items $ A Partnership Agreement that includes the following information:

$ Signatory's name, title, address, country, phone number, fax number, email and Web site;  24  $ Signature of the authorized company representative; and $ Date of signature $ A Commitment Form that includes the following information:

$ Partner's name;

$ Date of commitment;

$ Up to four ( at least one is needed) contact names, titles, addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers, and e mails; and $ The designated ENERGY STAR program areas to be promoted ( i. e. New Homes)

( ii) Respondent Activities $ To join ENERGY STAR, organizations are asked to:

$ Download the Partnership Agreement and Commitment Form from ENERGY STAR's Web site;

$ Review the instructions and commitments of the Partnership Agreement and Commitment Form;

$ Complete the Partnership Agreement and Commitment Form; and $ Return the Partnership Agreement and Commitment Form to EPA via mail or fax.

Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Partners This participant group consists of utilities, state agencies, and local associations who sponsor and promote a program of whole house, building science based improvements to existing homes. The program should emphasize a bona fide whole house approach, facilitation of the installation of recommended measures, diagnostic testing, and quality assurance.

( i) Data Items $ A Partnership Agreement that includes the following information:

$ Organization's name, address, phone number, fax number, and Web site;

$ Name, title, and signature of the authorized partner representative $ A related item is a written plan for implementing a program meeting the criteria for Home Performance with ENERGY STAR that includes the following:

$ description of how contractors will perform the whole house evaluation and link improvements to capable contractors;

$ description of a quality assurance plan; and $ description of how Partner will utilize the ENERGY STAR brand and logos to promote its Program $ A related item is Web content and other marketing materials featuring ENERGY STAR  25  $ A related item is quarterly updates on the following market indicators:

$ number of consumer initiated calls and contacts;

$ number of participating contractors;

$ number of successful referrals;

$ number of jobs completed;

$ actual or estimated energy savings from home improvement activities;

$ consumer and program costs; and $ description of quality control activities performed and their outcomes $ A related item is updated contact names and information for contractor referral networks ( ii) Respondent Activities $ To join ENERGY STAR, organizations are asked to:

$ Download the partnership agreement from ENERGY STAR's Web site;

$ Review the instructions and commitments of the Partnership Agreement;

$ Complete, sign, and date the Partnership Agreement; and $ Return the Partnership Agreement to EPA via mail or fax $ A related activity is developing and submitting to EPA within two months of activating the partnership, either electronically or on paper, a written plan to implement a program that meets the criteria for Home Performance with ENERGY STAR $ A related activity is submitting web designs and marketing materials that use ENERGY STAR logos or messaging for EPA review $ A related activity is providing electronically, on a quarterly basis, market indicator data that quantifies the effects of the program on the type and quantity of energy efficient home improvement projects done, the associated energy savings resulting from these projects, and the costs associated with these projects $ A related activity is providing EPA updates to contractor referral networks when changes occur to the networks EVALUATION EPA may contact Partners and other participants periodically to request their feedback about ENERGY STAR's impact on their own organization, on the market for energy efficient homes, on residential energy consumption, or feedback on the ENERGY STAR program itself. Note that EPA has identified specific areas for evaluation. However, it has not yet developed specific questions or methods for collecting the information. EPA will determine these parameters based on a range of considerations ( e. g., the type and number of Partners to be contacted, the number of questions to be asked, and the nature of the questions) at such time that it seeks to collect the information. EPA believes feedback about ENERGY STAR's impact on the residential sector and feedback about the ENERGY STAR Program itself is essential for the Agency to ensure that the Program effectively meets Partners' needs and the Agency's goals of reducing residential energy consumption and air pollution.  26  ( i) Data items $ Verbal or written responses ( either on paper or electronically) to EPA's questions on issues that include, but are not limited to:

  ENERGY STAR's effectiveness in meeting the needs of Partners who are key to the Program's success;   Reasons why some Partners do not actively promote ENERGY STAR;   The impact of ENERGY STAR's Indoor Air Package on home sales and on home buyer behavior;   Differences in utility bill savings and energy savings for ENERGY STAR and non ENERGY STAR qualified homes;   The effectiveness of the online reporting tool ( HOST) in capturing Partners' activity each quarter in qualifying homes for the ENERGY STAR label;   The market for energy efficient mortgages and other loans for making energy improvements to existing homes;   Verifying the presence of staff who are knowledgeable about ENERGY STAR and their organization's ENERGY STAR related promotions and incentives;   Current incentive programs being used by REEPS and lender Partners to promote ENERGY STAR in the residential sector;   The effectiveness of the Do It Yourself Guide for energy efficient home improvements; and   The effectiveness of outreach initiatives and programs such as the Sales Toolkit, Outreach Partnership, and Home Performance with ENERGY STAR outreach materials ( ii) Respondent activities   Partners would be asked to respond to EPA questions concerning the above data items, either verbally via phone or in written format.

QUARTERLY REPORTING ( i) Data Items   For each qualified home, submission of the following data by rating provider partners and manufacturing plant partners via the Homes Online Submittal Tool ( HOST) ( www. energystar. gov/ host), EPA's online reporting tool for ENERGY STAR qualified homes:

  Name of the home builder Partner;   Name of the certified rater Partner, if applicable;   Name of the accredited rating provider Partner;  27    Name of the retailer ( only for manufactured homes);   Name of the developer Partner, if applicable;   Name of the Regional Energy Efficiency Program Sponsor ( REEPS);   Program or other sponsoring organizations , if applicable;   Name of the manufacturing plant Partner, if applicable;   City and state of the home;   Rating method used to qualify the home; and   Number of ENERGY STAR qualified homes labeled   Partners have the option of requesting additional supplies of ENERGY STAR labels for homes via HOST. This entails entering the number of each type of label needed. ENERGY STAR utilizes three labels, one for individually rated homes, one for homes that were qualified using a sampling protocol, and a label for qualified manufactured homes.

  For 2006, Partners will manually provide data on the number of qualified homes built containing the ENERGY STAR Indoor Air Package ( IAP). After 2006 this data will be submitted electronically via HOST.

( ii) Respondent Activities   To submit quarterly reports to EPA via HOST ( www. energystar. gov/ HOST) Rating Provider and Plant Partners are asked to:   Go to the Internet and login to HOST using a unique username and password that was e mailed to the contact person;   Read the welcome screen and continue onto the data entry screen;   Input the data requested by navigating through HOST's data entry and edit screens;   Submit quarterly report data to EPA for review and approval; and   Enter the number of ENERGY STAR labels needed, if applicable   For 2006, Partners will manually submit data on the number of qualified homes built containing ENERGY STAR's Indoor Air Package. This will be provided on a spreadsheet via email ENERGY STAR AWARDS ( i) Data Items   An application package that includes print and electronic versions of:   Organization's name, address, web address, primary contact's name, title, e mail, phone, and fax;   Communications contact person's name, phone, e mail, and fax;   Organization's headquarters address if different than organization;   Partner type;   Market penetration of qualified homes;  28    Total number of qualified homes labeled;   Percentage of homes built that are ENERGY STAR;   Percentage of housing starts in market area that earn the ENERGY STAR label;   A description, in both qualitative and quantitative terms, of the organization's contributions in promoting ENERGY STAR in the residential sector. This includes examples of how the ENERGY STAR logo has been used, examples of how the organization has measured the impact of ENERGY STAR on their business, and how it has used ENERGY STAR in other areas if applicable;   Supporting documentation that illustrates the organization's level of activity in promoting ENERGY STAR. This may include photos, CDROM video; and   Dated signature of organization's representative ( ii) Respondent Activities   Download the appropriate application form from ENERGY STAR's Web site; and   Complete and submit the application form and supporting materials via mail or courier. Supporting materials includes electronic copies of the organization's logos in EPS format.

OUTREACH PARTNERSHIP ( i) Data Items   A Commitment Form that includes:   City where the outreach campaign will run;   Total dollars to be contributed collectively by all Partners;   Selection of a print or multi media campaign;   Length of the campaign;   Names of specific publications that will feature the campaign;   Template type to be used for print campaign;   Description of the multi media campaign, if applicable;   Designated Partner to negotiate rates with publications;   Designated payer of invoices;   Target start date of the campaign; and   Organization name, contact name, phone number, fax number, and e mail of point of contact ( ii) Respondent Activities   To apply for the outreach partnership, respondents are asked to:   Download the commitment form from ENERGY STAR's Web site;   Review, complete and submit the commitment form via fax;  29    Coordinate with other participants and EPA in developing and distributing the outreach campaign;   Review the Outreach Partnership guidelines;   Coordinate the outreach effort with other participating partners; and   Submit an electronic version of a corporate logo 5. THE INFORMATION COLLECTED  AGENCY ACTIVITIES, COLLECTION METHODOLOGY, AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT 5( a) Agency Activities This section describes EPA's activities under ENERGY STAR for the residential new construction and home improvement sectors. Where possible, EPA activities that apply across different Partner categories ( builders, lenders, verification organizations, REEPS) have been grouped together and described as one activity.

JOINING THE ENERGY STAR PROGRAM AND RELATED ACTIVITIES Partnership Agreement/ Commitment Form   EPA must perform the following activities in distributing, collecting, and reviewing partnership agreements and commitment forms submitted by all partner categories under the residential program:   E mail or fax the partnership agreement and commitment form to organizations who do not download the form from the Web;   Review the completed partnership agreements and commitment forms submitted to EPA;   Obtain any information missing from the partnership agreement and commitment form;   Enter information from the partnership agreement and commitment form into the iSTAR database;   Countersign the partnership agreement;   Make an electronic copy and a hard copy of the partnership agreement and commitment form;   Send an email welcoming the new partner to the program;   Send a confirmation e mail containing username and password information; and   Send the original hard copy partnership agreement and commitment form back to the organization along with a welcome aboard packet of information.

Indoor Air Package ( IAP) Supplemental Form   EPA must perform the following activities related to home builders who commit to offering ENERGY STAR's IAP to home buyers:  30    Review IAP form;   Contact partner with comments or questions;   File a copy of the IAP form; and   Maintain a list of home builders offering the IAP and their contact information in the iSTAR database Manufactured Housing Plant Certification Form   Although this form is not collected by EPA, EPA performs the following activities related to the certification of manufactured housing plants that undergo ENERGY STAR certification:   Maintain a list of certified plants; and   Provide the EPA approved Quality Assurance Provider ENERGY STAR label stock to distribute to certified plants.

Home Energy Rating Reports   EPA must perform the following activities when requesting copies of home energy rating reports from all partners:   Review the report for consistency with current ENERGY STAR guidelines for new homes;   Contact partners involved in building and qualifying the home as ENERGY STAR, as well as the home owner, to resolve issues related to the energy efficiency of the home; and   Maintain a record of home owner complaints in the iSTAR database Update on the Number of Energy Efficient Mortgages ( EEMs) Written by Lender Partners   EPA must perform the following activities when requesting updates on the number of EEMs written:   Review data; and   Enter information into a tracking spreadsheet Program Implementation Plan for Home Performance with ENERGY STAR   EPA must perform the following activities when requesting a written plan for implementing Home Performance with ENERGY STAR:   Receive plan via e mail, mail, or fax;   Review plan; and   Contact partner with comments and to discuss collaborative efforts Web and Other Marketing Materials for Home Performance with ENERGY STAR   EPA must perform the following activities when reviewing Web content and other  31  marketing materials:   Receive materials via e mail, mail, or fax;   Review content and materials; and   Contact partner with comments within five days of receipt Quarterly Updates for Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Market Indicators   EPA must perform the following activities when requesting quarterly updates:   Receive data via e mail; and   Enter data into iSTAR database Updates to Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Partner Contractor Referral Networks $ EPA must perform the following activities when requesting updates:

$ Receive data via e mail or phone; and $ Enter data into iSTAR database EVALUATION Feedback from Key Partners   EPA must perform the following activities when obtaining feedback from all key partners in all partner categories:   Develop questions;   Call key homebuilder and verification organization partners and solicit feedback;   Save feedback electronically in iSTAR database; and   Apply lessons learned to improve program guidelines and outreach efforts Contacting Inactive Partners   EPA must perform the following activities when contacting all inactive partners in all partner categories:   Call inactive partners regarding reasons for their inactivity;   Update the iSTAR database with new information; and   Apply lessons learned to improve program guidelines and outreach efforts Evaluation of ENERGY STAR Indoor Air Package ( IAP)   EPA must perform the following activities when contacting all partners regarding IAP:   Develop questions;   Solicit and document feedback; and   Apply lessons learned to improve IAP guidelines and outreach efforts Evaluation of ENERGY STAR Outreach Materials and Initiatives   EPA must perform the following activities when contacting all partners categories and other participants regarding outreach materials and initiatives:  32    Develop questions;   Solicit and document feedback;   Summarize feedback; and   Apply lessons learned to improve program guidelines and outreach efforts Evaluation of HOST Online Reporting System   EPA must perform the following activities when obtaining HOST feedback from verification organization and manufactured housing partners:   Call partners and solicit and document feedback;   Summarize feedback from key partners; and   Apply lessons learned to improve HOST reporting process Evaluation of ENERGY STAR's Impact on Residential Energy Demand and Costs   EPA must perform the following activities when obtaining feedback from all partners regarding ENERGY STAR's impact on the market for residential energy:   Develop questions;   Solicit and document feedback;   Summarize feedback; and   Apply lessons learned to improve program guidelines and outreach efforts Evaluation of REEP Partners' Knowledge of ENERGY STAR Sponsorship Programs   EPA must perform the following activities when obtaining feedback from REEP partners:   Develop questions;   Call partners and solicit and document feedback;   Summarize feedback from key partners; and   Save feedback electronically in iSTAR database and on Web site Evaluation of Financing's Impact on Demand for Energy Efficient Homes   EPA must perform the following activities when obtaining feedback from lender partners:   Develop questions;   Call key partners and solicit and document feedback;   Summarize feedback from key partners;   Save feedback electronically in iSTAR database; and   Apply lessons learned to improve program guidelines and outreach efforts QUARTERLY REPORTING   EPA must perform the following activities with regard to quarterly reports submitted by partners:   Train new partners on using online quarterly report submittal system;   Contact partners on quarterly basis to request submittal of their quarterly report;  33    Review partner report submissions;   Contact partner to resolve any errors or issues;   Make changes to report data if necessary;   Accept report data into iSTAR;   Operate and Maintain iSTAR database and Web site;   Fulfill requests for ENERGY STAR labels, if any; and   Review and enter IAP home information into iSTAR ( in 2006 only)

ENERGY STAR AWARDS   EPA must perform the following activities with regard to the ENERGY STAR awards:   Contact key partners to inform them of the annual award application process;   Develop award winner selection criteria;   Review award applications and supporting materials;   Summarize application information for all applicants;   Select award winners; and   Contact winners and non winners via phone, e mail, and mail regarding their status and to provide winners information about the award ceremony OUTREACH PARTNERSHIP   EPA must perform the following activities with regard to the outreach partnership:   Contact partners to solicit applications for the outreach partnership;   Review partner applications and select participants;   Contact partners to coordinate outreach development efforts;   Review outreach materials; and   Coordinate with partners in placing outreach materials in mass media.

5( b) Collection Methodology and Management In collecting and analyzing the information associated with this ICR, EPA will use a telephone system, personal computers, and applicable database software. EPA will ensure the accuracy and completeness of collected information by reviewing each submittal. EPA will enter the information obtained into a database and will aggregate data obtained to monitor the progress of participants in improving energy performance.

5( c) Small Entity Flexibility EPA expects that Small Businesses will participate in the ENERGY STAR Program. EPA has designed its report forms to minimize respondent burden while obtaining sufficient and accurate information. In addition, the initial agreement to participate in the Program is voluntary.  34  5( d) Collection Schedule JOINING THE ENERGY STAR PROGRAM AND RELATED ACTIVITIES Partnership Agreement and Commitment Form EPA collects the partnership agreement and commitment form on a one time basis from organizations seeking to be partners.

Indoor Air Package Form EPA collects the ENERGY STAR Indoor Air Package form on a one time basis from home builder partners seeking to offer this package to homebuyers.

Manufactured Housing Plant Certification Form EPA does not collect the manufactured housing plant certification form. This form is created and collected by an EPA approved third party quality assurance provider partner each time the manufacturing plant undergoes the plant certification process. It is anticipated this process is a one time only process.

Home Energy Rating Reports EPA does not collect home energy rating reports for ENERGY STAR qualified homes. These reports are written and maintained by the verification organization that verified the efficiency of the home. EPA collects home energy rating reports from verification organizations only on an as needed basis to assist in resolving questions concerning ENERGY STAR qualified homes.

Updates on Energy Efficient Mortgages ( EEMs)

EPA expects to collect updates on the number of EEMs written by lender partners no more than once a year.

Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Implementation Plan EPA collects the Home Performance with ENERGY STAR implementation plan on a one time basis.

Web Designs and Outreach Materials EPA collects Web content and other outreach materials from partners for review and approval on an as needed basis.  35  Quarterly Updates on Market for Home Performance Products and Services EPA collects updates on the market for energy efficient products and services related to Home Performance with ENERGY STAR on a quarterly basis.

Updates to Home Performance Partner Contractor Referral Networks EPA collects updates to Home Performance Partners' contractor referral networks on an as needed basis.

EVALUATION EPA may ask selected participants in the ENERGY STAR Program to provide feedback on their partnership with ENERGY STAR, on the Program's guidelines and policies, on the Program's public outreach efforts, and the Program's impact on the market for energy efficient new homes and home improvements. EPA expects to contact organizations not more than once per year.

QUARTERLY REPORTING EPA expects to ask partners to provide information on the number of ENERGY STAR qualified homes built on a quarterly basis.

ENERGY STAR AWARDS Partners interested in receiving recognition for their performance in promoting ENERGY STAR in the residential sector may submit an award application each year.

OUTREACH PARTNERSHIP Partners interested in participating in ENERGY STAR's public outreach partnership for the residential sector may submit an application each year.

6. ESTIMATING THE BURDEN AND COST OF THE COLLECTION 6( a) Estimating Respondent Burden Exhibits 1 through 5 estimate the annual respondent burden hours for information collection activities associated with the ENERGY STAR Program in the new homes and existing homes sectors. Table 9 presents the total annual hours to respondents under all activities. Based on the information in exhibits 1 through 5, it is estimated that the total number of respondents per year will be 1,441 and the total number of responses per year will be 2,782.

6( b) Estimating Respondent Costs  36  Exhibits 1 through 5 present the annual respondent costs for information collection activities associated with the ENERGY STAR Program in the new homes and existing homes sectors. Table 9 presents the total annual respondent costs under all activities. Specific cost assumptions are discussed below.

( i) Estimating Labor Costs The labor rates used to estimate costs to respondents are consistent with the hourly wage rates published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics publications on employment and earnings. Rates are current as of 2005. Rates reflect the cost of overhead and fringe benefits where appropriate. EPA estimates an average respondent hourly labor rate ( hourly plus overhead and fringe) of $ 126.02 for legal staff, $ 91.15 for managerial staff, $ 62.53 for technical staff, and $ 31.47 for clerical staff.

( ii) Estimating Capital and Operations and Maintenance ( O& M) Costs This ICR includes a total annual capital cost of $ 8,320. This represents an estimated average annual cost incurred by manufactured housing plants to modify and retool plant operations to become certified to produce homes that are ready for ENERGY STAR qualification.

Operation and maintenance ( O& M) costs are those costs associated with a paperwork requirement incurred continually over the life of the ICR. They are defined by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 as " the recurring dollar amount of costs associated with O& M or purchasing services." The majority of O& M costs for this ICR are for purchased services costs associated with third party verification of a manufactured home's energy efficiency. This is an annual O& M cost of $ 40 for the cost of labeling each manufactured home with the ENERGY STAR label. This ICR also includes O& M costs for postage ( i. e., $ 0.37) for each submittal of a Partnership Agreement and related forms to EPA by postal mail and a cost for a long distance call ( i. e. $ 0.10) for each submittal of a Partnership Agreement or ENERGY STAR Award Commitment Form to EPA by fax. EPA estimates that 70 percent ( 840 organizations) of Home Builder Partners will submit their Partnership Agreement via fax with the rest ( 360 organizations) using U. S. mail for a total annual O& M cost of $ 217.20. EPA estimates that 70 percent ( 70 organizations) of Verification Organization Partners will submit their Partnership Agreement via fax and the remainder ( 30 organizations) will use U. S. mail for a total annual O& M cost of $ 18.10. EPA also estimates an annual O& M cost of $ 1.00 for Verification Organizations to submit home energy rating reports upon request. EPA estimates that 75 percent ( 23 organizations) of Lender Partners will submit their Partnership Agreement via fax with the rest ( 9 organizations) using U. S. mail for an annual O& M cost of $ 5.58. EPA estimates an annual O& M cost of $ 2.59 for Regional Energy Efficiency Program Partners to submit Partnership Agreements to EPA, and a cost of $ 1.85 for Home Performance Partners to submit Partnership Agreements to EPA.  37  There is an estimated annual O& M cost of $ 2.00 for express mailing costs associated with submitting application materials for an ENERGY STAR Award, and for mailing timesensitive print materials for the annual outreach partnership.

6( c) Estimating Agency Burden and Costs The hourly labor rates used in this ICR were obtained from the 2005 GS pay schedule available from the Office of Personnel Management. EPA estimates an average hourly labor cost of $ 68.94 for legal staff, $ 64.47 for managerial staff, $ 47.27 for technical staff, and $ 18.98 for clerical staff. The labor costs are based on the following GS levels and steps: legal labor rates were based on GS Level 15, Step 1, managerial labor rates were based on GS Level 14, Step 4, technical labor rates were based on GS Level 12, Step 5, and clerical labor rates were based on GS Level 5, Step 1. To derive hourly estimates, EPA divided annual salary by 2,080, which is the number of hours in the Federal work year. EPA then multiplied hourly rates by the standard government overhead factor of 1.6.

EPA anticipates an annual Agency capital cost of $ 4,000 associated with the development and coordination of outreach print materials for the annual outreach partnership. EPA anticipates instances of Agency O& M costs associated with ENERGY STAR for Homes information collection activities. EPA anticipates an annual O& M cost of $ 0.10 for a long distance call made to fax a partnership agreement to a partner who does not access this form via electronic format. EPA anticipates an annual Agency O& M cost of $ 2.00 for a long distance phone call to a Partner to obtain information including: missing contact information, obtain feedback on the IAP, resolve verification issues, to discuss Home Performance implementation plans, provide comments on Web and other marketing materials, obtain feedback from Partners to evaluate program initiatives, and contact Partners concerning the Outreach Partnership. To disseminate a Welcome Aboard Pack once a signed Partnership Agreement is received from a Partner, and to mail ENERGY STAR labels to manufacturing plants, EPA anticipates an annual cost of $ 2.00 per mailing. This corresponds to the average cost to mail a standard Welcome Aboard Pack via first class mail. EPA also anticipates an annual O& M cost of $ 100 to ship a trophy to each winner of an ENERGY STAR award. Also, EPA anticipates an annual O& M cost of $ 12,000 for operation and maintenance of ENERGY STAR's partnership database and Web site related to the collection and processing of quarterly reports from partners, and an annual O& M cost of $ 20,317.50 for the annual placement of public outreach materials in the mass media. In addition, EPA anticipates an O& M cost of $ 0.37 to mail a letter of award or loss to Partners who submit ENERGY STAR Award applications.

6( d) Estimating the Respondent Universe In this section, EPA describes its estimates of the number of respondents carrying out the information collections under the ENERGY STAR Program in the new homes and existing homes sectors. In developing its estimates, EPA referred to its partnership database ( e. g., iSTAR) and other documentation in order to understand historical trends in the number of new and existing respondents. Based on this understanding, EPA has estimated the average number of respondents associated with each of the information collections under the Program. These estimates are explained below and in Tables 1 through 8. These estimates are also reflected in Exhibits 1 through 5.  38  JOINING THE ENERGY STAR PROGRAM AND RELATED ACTIVITIES ( EXHIBIT 1)

Home Builder Partners EPA estimates that during the three year life of this ICR, on average, 1200 home builders in the new homes sector will submit Partnership Agreements to EPA each year. EPA estimates that 50 builder partners will opt, annually, to offer the ENERGY STAR indoor air package ( IAP).

EPA estimates that no more than ten manufactured home builder partners each year will become certified to produce ENERGY STAR qualified manufactured homes, and that there will be, on average, 3,000 manufactured homes that are qualified primarily for the ENERGY STAR label on an annual basis during the three year life of this ICR.

EPA also estimates that, on average, there will be an estimated 101,696 site built homes that will be qualified primarily for the ENERGY STAR label, with 25,424 of these homes verified via individual energy ratings and 76,272 homes verified via ENERGY STAR's sampling protocol.

These assumptions are reflected in Exhibit 1.

Verification Organization Partners EPA estimates that, during the three year life of this ICR, 100 verification organizations will submit Partnership Agreements to EPA, on average, each year.

EPA estimates that it will ask no more than ten organizations each year to submit home energy rating reports in response to an EPA request.

These assumptions are reflected in Exhibit 1.

Lender Partners EPA estimates that, during the three year life of this ICR, 30 organizations in the lending industry will submit Partnership Agreements to EPA, on average, each year.

There are currently 50 lender partners in existence. EPA estimates a growth rate of 30 lender partners each year. Based on Table 1, EPA estimates that 110 lender partners will be in existence, on average, during the life of this ICR.

Table 1: Number of Lender Partners In Existence During Three Year Life of ICR Partners 2006 2007 2008 Existing 50 80 110  39  New 30 30 30 Total 80 110 140 Assuming a reporting rate similar to the verification industry ( 75 percent), EPA estimates that 83 lending organizations, on average, will report the number of energy efficient mortgages ( EEMs) they issue each year ( i. e., 110 x 75% = 83 partners).

These assumptions are reflected in Exhibit 1.

Regional Energy Efficiency Program Partners ( REEPS)

EPA estimates that, during the three year life of this ICR, seven regional energy efficiency program organizations will submit Partnership Agreements to EPA, on average, each year. This assumption is reflected in Exhibit 1.

Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Partners EPA estimates that, during the three year life of this ICR, five organizations in the home improvement sector will submit Partnership Agreements to EPA, on average, each year.

There are currently 11 Home Performance with ENERGY STAR partners. EPA estimates a growth rate of five Home Performance partners each year. Based on Table 2, EPA estimates that 21 Home Performance partners will be in existence, on average, during the life of this ICR.

Table 2: Number of Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Partners In Existence During Three Year Life of ICR Partners 2006 2007 2008 Existing 11 16 21 New 5 5 5 Total 16 21 26 EPA estimates that all Home Performance partners will publicize their ENERGY STAR partnership on the web. Hence, EPA estimates that 21 Home Performance with ENERGY STAR partners will submit web designs and materials for EPA review, on average, each year.

EPA estimates that 90 percent of Home Performance with ENERGY STAR partners will submit quarterly reports on the effects of their programs ( i. e., 21 x 90% = 19 partners each year, on average).

EPA estimates that all Home Performance with ENERGY STAR partners ( i. e., 21 partners on average) will inform EPA of changes in their referral networks each year.

These assumptions are reflected in Exhibit 1.  40  EVALUATION ( EXHIBIT 2)

Home Builder Partners EPA anticipates making regular contact with its key partners to obtain feedback on their experience with their ENERGY STAR partnership and on ENERGY STAR's impact on the demand for residential energy and the market for energy efficient homes and home improvements. These evaluations are intended to collect key information about ENERGY STAR's relevance in the marketplace, which will be used to improve program implementation, identify ways to streamline burden under the program, and enhance benefits from participation. EPA estimates that it will contact no more than 150 key home builders once each year.

EPA anticipates contacting inactive ENERGY STAR partners no more than once a year to determine why they are not participating in the program and what steps can be taken to improve the program to increase participation and the benefits to partners. EPA estimates that it will contact no more than 75 inactive builder partners each year.

EPA anticipates contacting home builder partners implementing the Indoor Air Package ( IAP) to determine the impact of IAP on home builders' businesses and on home buyers' behavior. This is so EPA can determine the benefits and costs of improved indoor air as it relates to energy efficiency in new homes. EPA estimates that it will contact no more than 50 home builders each year to discuss the IAP.

In addition, EPA anticipates communicating with home builder partners no more than once a year to obtain their feedback on new outreach products and initiatives, such as the Outreach Partnership, designed to educate the public about the benefits of ENERGY STAR and to increase ENERGY STAR's market presence in new sectors such as affordable housing and high rise multi family housing. EPA estimates that it will contact no more than 50 builder partners each year.

These assumptions are reflected in Exhibit 2.

Verification Organization Partners EPA anticipates making regular contact with its key partners no more than once a year to obtain feedback on their ENERGY STAR related activities, level of satisfaction with their partnership, and ENERGY STAR's impact on residential energy demand and the demand for energy efficient homes. These evaluations are intended to improve program implementation, identify ways to minimize burden under the program, and enhance benefits from participation. EPA estimates that it will contact no more than 100 key verification organizations once per year.

In addition, EPA anticipates communicating with verification organization partners to obtain feedback on outreach products and initiatives. These calls are intended to improve EPA's implementation of the program, enhance benefits to partners, and identify ways to minimize  41  burden. Table 3 summarizes the evaluation subjects and maximum estimated number of verification organization partners that EPA will contact no more than once each year.

Table 3: Anticipated Evaluation Subjects and Estimated Number of Respondents Evaluation Subject Partners Contacted Feedback on the online HOST reporting system < 25 Homeowner energy savings evaluation < 50 These assumptions are reflected in Exhibit 2.

Lender Partners EPA expects to contact the sales staff of ENERGY STAR lending partners to determine if partner sales staff is knowledgeable about ENERGY STAR and energy efficient mortgages ( EEMs). EPA estimates that it will contact no more than 100 lender partners each year.

EPA anticipates identifying other questions that would entail brief input from ENERGY STAR lender partners on issues related to financing for energy efficient homes and home improvements, such as ways financing can influence the market for energy efficient homes in the affordable housing sector. EPA estimates that it will contact up to 100 ENERGY STAR lender partners no more than once each year for this input.

These assumptions are reflected in Exhibit 2.

Regional Energy Efficiency Program Partners ( REEPS)

EPA anticipates contacting REEPS about their current energy efficiency incentives so that EPA can provide this information on its Web site to the public. EPA estimates that it will contact no more than 95 REEPS regarding incentives each year.

EPA anticipates identifying other questions that would entail brief input from ENERGY STAR regional energy efficiency program partners. These questions would deal with issues such as the impact of ENERGY STAR on residential energy use and on residential utility bills. The information provided may include aggregated data on actual utility bills. EPA estimates that it will contact up to up to 95 ENERGY STAR REEPS each year for this input.

These assumptions are reflected in Exhibit 2.

Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Partners Based on EPA's estimate of the average number of Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Partners in existence during the three year life of this ICR as stated in Table 2, EPA anticipates communicating with 21 Home Performance with ENERGY STAR partners each year to obtain feedback on their partnership, it's impact on the market for energy efficient home  42  improvements, and on ENERGY STAR's outreach initiatives such as the Do It Yourself Guide. These calls are intended to improve EPA's implementation of the program, enhance benefits to partners, and identify ways to minimize the burden of participating in promoting ENERGY STAR.

These assumptions are reflected in Exhibit 2.

Other Home Industry Professionals EPA anticipates contacting other professionals in the residential sector such as realtors, architects, product manufacturers, and retailers, for their feedback on the ENERGY STAR Program, its outreach efforts, and its impact on the market for energy efficient new and existing homes. EPA estimates that it will contact no more than 30 home industry professionals each year for this input.

These assumptions are reflected in Exhibit 2.

QUARTERLY REPORTING ( EXHIBIT 3)

Verification Organization Partners Based on past experience, EPA estimates that 75 percent of verification organization partners will submit quarterly reports on labeled homes. All partners who report on labeled homes will do so using EPA's online HOST system. There are currently 80 verification partners in ENERGY STAR. EPA estimates that three new reporting partners will join each year. Based on Table 4, EPA estimates that 86 verification organization partners will be in existence, on average, during the life of this ICR.

Table 4: Number of Verification Organization Partners In Existence During Three Year Life of ICR Partners 2006 2007 2008 Existing 80 83 86 New 3 3 3 Total 83 86 89 Based on the above assumptions, EPA estimates that 65 verification organizations, on average, will provide quarterly reports using the HOST system each year ( i. e., 86 x 75% = 65 verification organization partners).

EPA will be initiating a pilot program with air quality certification that will ask verification organizations to report using electronic spreadsheets in 2006 but it is anticipated that this reporting element will be incorporated into the online HOST system by 2007. For this reason, verification organizations reporting in 2006 perform an additional reporting activity.  43  EPA estimates that 62 verification organizations will report to the HOST system in 2006 ( i. e., 83 x 75% = 62 partners). To reflect that these 62 partners will complete the additional reporting activity in 2006 only, EPA has annualized this indoor air quality related one time activity over the three year life of this ICR ( i. e., 62 partners / 3 years = 21 partners per year).

These assumptions are reflected in Exhibit 3.

Manufactured Housing Partners There are currently 81 manufactured housing partners in the program. Based on past experience, EPA estimates that 40 percent of partners will submit quarterly reports on labeled homes each year. This means that there will be 32 partners reporting at the start of 2006 ( 81 x 40% = 32). In addition, EPA estimates that 15 partners will join the program each year and 40 percent, or six ( 15 x 40% = 6) of them will submit quarterly reports. Based on Table 5, EPA estimates that 44 manufactured housing partners will submit quarterly reports each year, on average, during the life of this ICR. All partners who report on labeled homes will do so using EPA's online HOST system.

Table 5: Number of Manufacturing Plant Partners To Submit Reports During Three Year Life of ICR Partners 2006 2007 2008 Currently Reporting 32 38 44 New 6 6 6 Total 38 44 50 EPA will be initiating a pilot program involving indoor air quality verification that will ask participating manufacturing plants to report using electronic spreadsheets in 2006, but it is anticipated that this reporting element will be incorporated into the online HOST system by 2007. For this reason, manufacturing plants reporting in 2006 perform an additional activity. EPA estimates that 15 manufacturing plants will report their indoor air quality verification activity using electronic spreadsheets in 2006 ( i. e., 38 x 40% = 15 partners). To reflect that these 15 partners will complete the additional reporting activity in 2006 only, EPA has annualized this one time activity over the three year life of this ICR ( i. e., 15 partners / 3 years = 5 partners per year).

These assumptions are reflected in Exhibit 3.

ENERGY STAR AWARDS ( EXHIBIT 4)

EPA estimates that 14 home builder partners, six verification organization partners, and ten regional energy efficiency program partners will apply for an ENERGY STAR Award each year. EPA also expects that nine Home Performance with ENERGY STAR partners will apply for an award each year. These assumptions are reflected in Exhibit 4.  44  OUTREACH PARTNERSHIP ( EXHIBIT 5)

EPA expects 14 metropolitan markets to participate in the 2005 Outreach Partnership. The number of participating markets is expected to increase by one each year. Based on Table 6, EPA estimates that 16 markets will submit the commitment form and participate in the Outreach Partnership, on average, during the life of this ICR. EPA assumes that each market will include five participants on average, therefore there will be a total estimated 80 participants ( 16 x 5 = 80) who will be asked to review the outreach partnership guidelines, coordinate with other partners, and submit a corporate logo to EPA.

These assumptions are reflected in Exhibit 5.

Table 6: Number of Markets In Outreach Partnership In Existence During Three Year Life of ICR Partners 2006 2007 2008 Existing 14 15 16 New 1 1 1 Total 15 16 17 6( e) Bottom Line Burden Hours and Cost Tables ( i) Respondent Tally As shown in Table 7, EPA estimates the total annual hour and cost burden to respondents to be 175,449 hours and $ 9,133,098, respectively. The total bottom line hour and cost burden to respondents over three years is estimated to be 526,347 hours and $ 27,399,294, respectively.

TABLE 7 TOTAL ESTIMATED RESPONDENT BURDEN AND COST SUMMARY* Activity Total Hours Per Year Total Labor Cost Per Year Total Annual Capital Costs Total Annual O& M Costs Total Cost Per Year Joining ENERGY STAR and Related Activities 173,119 $ 8,859,463 $ 8,320 $ 120,246 $ 8,988,029  45  Activity Total Hours Per Year Total Labor Cost Per Year Total Annual Capital Costs Total Annual O& M Costs Total Cost Per Year Evaluation 818 $ 59,605 $ 0 $ 0 $ 59,605 Quarterly Reporting 321 $ 14,057 $ 0 $ 0 $ 14,057 ENERGY STAR Awards 410 $ 22,061 $ 0 $ 78 $ 22,139 Outreach Partnership 782 $ 49,235 $ 0 $ 34 $ 49,268 TOTAL 175,449 $ 9,004,420 $ 8,320 $ 120,358 $ 9,133,098 * Table contains rounding.

( ii) Agency Tally ( TBD)

As shown in Table 8, EPA estimates the total annual hour and cost burden to the Agency to be 2,785 hours and $ 511,150. The bottom line burden to the Agency over three years is estimated to be 8,355 hours and $ 1,533,450.  46  TABLE 8 TOTAL ESTIMATED AGENCY BURDEN AND COST SUMMARY*

Agency Activity Total Hours Per Year Total Labor Cost Per Year Total Annual Capital Costs Total Annual O& M Costs Total Cost Per Year Joining ENERGY STAR and Related Activities 1,122 $ 29,038 $ 0 $ 3,097 $ 32,134 Evaluation 544 $ 24,322 $ 0 $ 1,260 $ 25,582 Quarterly Reporting 164 $ 5,841 $ 0 $ 12,218 $ 18,059 ENERGY STAR Awards 123 $ 5,906 $ 0 $ 1,014 $ 6,921 Outreach Partnership 831 $ 39,281 $ 64,000 $ 325,172 $ 428,453 TOTAL 2,785 $ 104,389 $ 64,000 $ 342,761 $ 511,150 * Table contains rounding.

6( f) Reasons for Change in Burden  47  This is the first ICR on the ENERGY STAR Program in the Residential Sector and therefore does not modify any existing ICR. EPA believes the burden in this ICR is justified in light of the many benefits to participants, the public and the environment. Homes earning the ENERGY STAR label have been verified to be energy efficient, making it easier for consumers to identify and purchase homes that are energy efficient. Compared to a standard home, an ENERGY STAR qualified home uses substantially less energy for heating, cooling, and water heating than a standard home, which delivers an estimated $ 200 to $ 400 in annual utility bill savings. In 2005 alone there were over 160,000 new homes earning the ENERGY STAR label, almost 10% of all new homes permitted in the U. S that year. These homes are estimated to provide homeowners $ 32 to $ 64 million in annual utility bill savings. This savings becomes even greater when you consider that a person lives in the same home an average of 7 to 8 years. Overall there have been over 520,000 ENERGY STAR qualified homes built, saving the U. S. $ 144 million in utility bills, 989 million kilowatt hours of electricity, 75 million therms of natural gas, and over 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year.

Additional savings on household maintenance can also be substantial. The cumulative energy saved from ENERGY STAR qualified homes is equivalent to the energy produced from burning 1.5 million English tons of coal. In addition, more than 17,000 homes have been improved through state and locally sponsored Home Performance with ENERGY STAR programs. This whole house retrofit initiative is bringing new opportunities to achieve energy savings and reduce peak loads across the U. S. Also, there are many state and local energyefficiency sponsorship programs that provide rebates and other financial incentives to home builders that offset the verification costs associated with qualifying a home for the ENERGY STAR label.

In addition, EPA's ENERGY STAR Programs are an important part of the overall effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. President Bush has made ENERGY STAR a key element of his National Energy Policy and his climate change initiative, which emphasizes the use of market based, voluntary partnerships with industry. ENERGY STAR is a voluntary, marketbased program aimed at preventing pollution rather than controlling it after its creation. ENERGY STAR focuses on reducing utility generated emissions by reducing the demand for energy via voluntary commitments by a wide range of organizations, public and private.

6( g) Burden Statement JOINING THE ENERGY STAR PROGRAM AND RELATED ACTIVITIES ( EXHIBIT 1)

The total annual burden for joining the ENERGY STAR Program and related activities is estimated to be 173,119 hours for all respondents. Most of these hours are a result of the time needed for verification organizations to properly verify the energy efficiency of each ENERGY STAR qualified home on site, a critical component and a key selling point for an ENERGY STAR qualified home. The annual burden per respondent is estimated to vary from 1.10 to 2.35 hours for submitting the Partnership Agreement and related paperwork. The annual burden per respondent is estimated to be an additional 40 hours for home builder partners who undergo  48  manufactured housing plant certification, to account for the additional effort to gain this certification. The annual burden per respondent is estimated to be an additional four hours for home builder partners to individually verify the energy efficiency of a home for the ENERGY STAR label, and 0.9 hours to verify a home's energy efficiency using a sampling protocol. The annual burden per respondent is estimated to be an additional 86 hours for Home Performance with ENERGY STAR Partners, which includes time to carry out program implementation plan activities and providing quarterly updates to EPA on the program's impact on the market for energy efficient home improvements. There is also an additional 1 hour for verification organizations who are requested by EPA to provide home energy rating reports as necessary.

EVALUATION ( EXHIBIT 2)

The total annual burden for providing feedback on ENERGY STAR's guidelines for residential energy efficiency, its impact on the market for energy efficient new and existing homes, and its outreach efforts is estimated to be 818 hours for all respondents. The annual burden per respondent is estimated to vary from .75 hours to 4 hours. This includes feedback obtained from Partners on ENERGY STAR's outreach programs and materials and on ENERGY STAR's impact on the supply and demand for energy efficient homes, information about the home improvement market such as the number of verified HVAC system installations and the number of home sealing jobs performed, feedback on ENERGY STAR's impact on residential energy demand and utility bill savings, as well as time speaking on the phone with ENERGY STAR account managers and/ or responding to written information requests from EPA.

QUARTERLY REPORTS ( EXHIBIT 3)

The total annual burden for submitting quarterly reports is estimated to be 321 hours for all respondents. The annual burden for submitting quarterly reports is estimated to be 3.45 hours per respondent. This includes time for logging into EPA's online reporting tool, HOST, on the Web and providing specified information about ENERGY STAR qualified new homes. It also includes the manual submittal of information ( in 2006 only) on the number of ENERGY STAR qualified homes containing ENERGY STAR's Indoor Air Package.

ENERGY STAR AWARDS ( EXHIBIT 4)

The total annual burden for applying for an ENERGY STAR award is estimated to be 410 hours. The annual burden for applying for an ENERGY STAR Award is estimated to be 10.5 hours per respondent. This includes time for preparing and submitting the awards application and supporting materials to EPA for review.

OUTREACH PARTNERSHIP ( EXHIBIT 5)

The total annual burden for the Outreach Partnership is estimated to be 782 hours for all respondents. The annual burden for the Outreach Partnership is estimated to be 42.85 hours per respondent. This includes time for completing/ submitting the Commitment Form as well as  49  coordinating with other participants and EPA to develop, approve, and distribute a coordinated outreach campaign.

Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time needed to review instructions; develop, acquire, install, and utilize technology and systems for the purposes of collecting, validating, and verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; adjust the existing ways to comply with any previously applicable instructions and requirements; train personnel to be able to respond to a collection of information; search data sources; complete and review the collection of information; and transmit or otherwise disclose the information.

To comment on the Agency's need for this information, the accuracy of the provided burden estimates, and any suggested methods for minimizing respondent burden, including the use of automated collection techniques, EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID No. EPA HQ OAR 2004 0500, which is available for public viewing at the Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center in the EPA Docket Center ( EPA/ DC), EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center Public Reading Room is open from 8: 30 a. m. to 4: 30 p. m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the Reading Room is ( 202) 566 1744, and the telephone number for the Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center is ( 202) 566 1742. An electronic version of the public docket is available through the Federal Docket Management System ( FDMS) at http:// www. regulations. gov. Use FDMS to submit or view public comments, access the index listing of the contents of the public docket, and to access those documents in the public docket that are available electronically. Once in the system, select " search," then key in the docket ID number identified above. Also, you can send comments to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20503, Attention: Desk Office for EPA. Please include the EPA Docket ID No. EPA HQ OAR 2004 0500 in any correspondence.  50  Legal Managerial Technical Clerical Information Collection Activity $ 126.02 $ 91.15 $ 62.53 $ 31.47 Partnership Agreement ( PA)

Partnership Agreement ( PA)

Review instructions of PA 0.00 0.25 0.25 0.00 0.50 $ 38.42 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 1,200 600.00 $ 46,104.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 46,104.00 Complete PA 0.00 0.00 0.25 0.00 0.25 $ 15.63 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 1,200 300.00 $ 18,756.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 18,756.00 Complete supplemental IAP form 0.00 0.25 0.00 0.00 0.25 $ 22.79 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 50 12.50 $ 1,139.50 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 1,139.50 Return PA to EPA via U. S. mail 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.10 0.10 $ 3.15 $ 0.00 $ 0.37 360 36.00 $ 1,134.00 $ 0.00 $ 133.20 $ 1,267.20 Return PA to EPA via fax 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.10 0.10 $ 3.15 $ 0.00 $ 0.10 840 84.00 $ 2,646.00 $ 0.00 $ 84.00 $ 2,730.00 Subtotal 0.00 varies 0.50 varies varies varies $ 0.00 varies 3,650 1,032.50 $ 69,779.50 $ 0.00 $ 217.20 $ 69,996.70 Complete manufactured housing plant certification 0.00 8.00 30.00 2.00 40.00 $ 2,668.04 $ 832.00 $ 0.00 10 400.00 $ 26,680.40 $ 8,320.00 $ 0.00 $ 35,000.40 Verify manufactured homes for ENERGY STAR label 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 40.00 3,000 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 120,000.00 $ 120,000.00 Verify site built homes for ENERGY STAR label ( Individually Rated) 0.00 0.00 3.00 1.00 4.00 $ 219.06 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 25,424 101,696.00 $ 5,569,381.44 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 5,569,381.44 Verify site built homes for ENERGY STAR label ( Sampled) 0.00 0.00 0.40 0.50 0.90 $ 40.75 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 76,272 68,644.80 $ 3,108,084.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 3,108,084.00 Subtotal 0.00 varies varies varies varies varies varies varies 104,706 170,740.80 $ 8,704,145.84 $ 8,320.00 $ 120,000.00 $ 8,832,465.84 Partnership Agreement ( PA)

Review instructions of PA 0.00 0.50 0.25 0.00 0.75 $ 61.21 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 100 75.00 $ 6,121.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 6,121.00 Complete PA 0.00 0.00 0.25 0.00 0.25 $ 15.63 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 100 25.00 $ 1,563.00 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 1,563.00 Return PA to EPA via U. S. mail 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.10 0.10 $ 3.15 $ 0.00 $ 0.37 30 3.00 $ 94.50 $ 0.00 $ 11.10 $ 105.60 Return PA to EPA via fax 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.10 0.10 $ 3.15 $ 0.00 $ 0.10 70 7.00 $ 220.50 $ 0.00 $ 7.00 $ 227.50 Provide home energy rating reports upon request 0.00 0.00 1.00 0.00 1.00 $ 62.53 $ 0.00 $ 0.10 10 10.00 $ 625.30 $ 0.00 $ 1.00 $ 626.30 Subtotal 0.00 0.50 varies varies varies varies $ 0.00 varies 310 120.00 $ 8,624.30 $ 0.00 $ 19.10 $ 8,643.40 Partnership Agreement ( PA)

Review instructions of PA 0.50 0.25 0.25 0.00 1.00 $ 101.43 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 30 30.00 $ 3,042.90 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 3,042.90 Complete PA 0.00 0.00 0.25 0.00 0.25 $ 15.63 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 30 7.50 $ 468.90 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 468.90 Return PA to EPA via U. S. mail 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.10 0.10 $ 3.15 $ 0.00 $ 0.37 9 0.90 $ 28.35 $ 0.00 $ 3.33 $ 31.68 Return PA to EPA via fax 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.10 0.10 $ 3.15 $ 0.00 $ 0.10 23 2.25 $ 70.88 $ 0.00 $ 2.25 $ 73.13 Report the number of EEMs written each year to EPA 0.00 0.00 1.00 0.00 1.00 $ 62.53 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 83 83.00 $ 5,189.99 $ 0.00 $ 0.00 $ 5,189.99 Subtotal 0.50 0.25 1.50 varies varies varies $ 0.00 varies 175 123.65 $ 8,801.02 $ 0.00 $ 5.58 $ 8,806.60 Home Builder Partners Verification Organization Partners Lender Partners No. of Respond.

Activities Total Hours/ Year Verify Home's Energy Efficiency for ES Label Total Cost/ Year Total Labor Cost/ Year Total Annual Capital Total Annual O& M Cost ENERGY STAR Homes Program: Joining the ENERGY STAR Program and Related Activities*

Exhibit 1 Estimated Annual Respondent Burden and Cost Respond.

Hours/ Year Labor Costs/ Year Hours and Costs Per Respondent** Total Hours and Costs**