Date of Award

Spring 1-1-2020

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy In Urban Studies And Public Affairs

Department

Urban Studies

First Advisor

Simons, Robert

Second Advisor

Dr. Cryshanna A. Jackson Leftwich

Third Advisor

Dr. Ronnie Dunn

Abstract

Housing organizations continuously face competition from other providers of low to moderate-income residential housing. That competition motivates those agencies to perpetually search for cost savings methods, which will enable them to continue providing supportive services to their residents. Additionally, the government has entrusted certain agencies with substantial funding that can inspire the organization to search for ways to demonstrate they are competent shepherds of those resources. Given that Alpha Homes’ residents do not pay their electric bills, the fundamental question guiding this research was: could a housing organization significantly reduce the average tenant electricity usage through a combination of resident-focused "Education, Economic Incentives, and Evaluation"? This quasi-experiment utilized a time series model, with multiple regression, that sought to determine if any or all of the treatments created a significant reduction in tenant electricity consumption. The results show an overall significant reduction, in monthly electricity consumption, of approximately 8 percent for the Education and Economic Incentive treatment groups, and 5.7% for the group that received both treatments, which provides support for continued program implementation. These data offer policymakers an option for the providing of services for their residents.

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