Kentucky's REACH Program Evaluation Summary
Abstract
The Kentucky River Foothills Development Council (KRFDC), a community
action agency that provides a comprehensive range of services for
low-income families and individuals, and the Kentucky Department
of Social Insurance's Energy Assistance Branch operated the REACH
program.
The project provided energy education workshops, budget counseling, weatherization kits and installation demonstrations to reduce energy usage for program participants.
Grant Amount
$266,002 (FY 1997 funding)
Duration
December 1998 - September 2000
Goals
The overall REACH goal was to reduce energy consumption of participants
in KRFDC's four-county service area. Additionally, the REACH initiative
attempted to bring about change in four factors related to energy
self-sufficiency:
- Energy usage knowledge, management and behavior of targeted households;
- Budgeting and financial management behavior of targeted households;
- Energy efficiency of homes of targeted households and;
- Support of energy vendors for energy assistance and education programs.
Client Eligibility Criteria
Low-income households in Clark, Estill, Madison and Powell counties
that are eligible for LIHEAP or Weatherization.
Client Services
Educational workshops provided household members with energy conservation
education, energy saving home improvement tips and materials and
installation demonstrations. Participants worked on household budgets
and energy savings plans during budget counseling sessions. The
KRFDC weatherization program made energy saving improvements to
households that were previously denied services due to regulatory
spending limits or safety issues. Advisory Groups composed of energy
vendor representatives, community people and REACH participants
organized and met to discuss energy saving matters in each of the
four counties.
Outcomes
The evaluator, Thomas A. Boyd, Ph.D., Berea College Department of
Sociology, concluded that the REACH project implemented by KRFDC
achieved all of its goals.
One hundred seventy-three persons attended 23 educational workshops (115% of target achieved), 45 households participated in budget education and counseling (100% of target achieved), 15 homes received weatherization services (100% of target achieved) and county advisory groups met at least once in each county (100% of target achieved).
Follow-up surveys with the participants found that the vast majority installed energy saving measures in their homes. Participants exhibited knowledge and use of energy conservation practices and reported that the workshops were useful and led to changes in household practices.
A comparison of energy use between REACH participants and a similar low-income control group showed that REACH participants used about 44 % less electricity in the winter than the control group. Usage for REACH households that had electric heating in the winter was reduced by 45% compared to the control group. Summer electricity usage for REACH participants was slightly lower than the comparison group.
However, energy use by REACH participants was not reduced in December 2000, as expected, when compared to December 1999. Both the REACH participant and control groups showed identical increases (about 22%) in electricity use when comparing December 1999 and December 2000 data. The increase may be attributed to an increase in the severity of winter weather in December 2000.