11-i

CHAPTER 11. CONSUMER SUBGROUP ANALYSIS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

11.1 INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................11-1

11.2 SUBGROUPS DEFINITION......................................................................................11-1

11.2.1 Senior-Only Households.............................................................................................11-1

11.2.2 Low-Income Households............................................................................................11-1

11.3 INPUTS TO CONSUMER SUBGROUP ANALYSIS................................................11-2

11.4 RESULTS ..................................................................................................................11-3

11.4.1 Senior-Only Households.............................................................................................11-4

11.4.2 Low-Income Households............................................................................................11-5

LIST OF TABLES

Table 11.2.1 RECS 2005 Definitions of Low-Income Households by Yearly Income ..........11-2

Table 11.3.1 Household Population .....................................................................................11-2

Table 11.3.2 Weighted-Average Annual Electricity Use for Standard-Sized 

Dishwashers....................................................................................................11-3

Table 11.3.3 Weighted-Average Annual Electricity Use for Compact Dishwashers.............11-3

Table 11.4.1 Standard-Sized Dishwashers: LCC and PBP Results for Senior-Only 

Households.....................................................................................................11-4

Table 11.4.2 Compact Dishwashers: LCC and PBP Results for Senior-Only Households....11-4

Table 11.4.3 Standard-Sized Dishwashers: LCC and PBP Results for Low-Income 

Households.....................................................................................................11-5

Table 11.4.4 Compact Dishwashers: LCC and PBP Results for Low-Income 

Households.....................................................................................................11-5
11-1

CHAPTER 11. CONSUMER SUBGROUP ANALYSIS

11.1 INTRODUCTION

Chapter 8 describes the life-cycle cost (LCC) and payback period (PBP) analyses that 

examine impacts of energy conservation standards on the U.S. population. In analyzing the potential 

impact of new or amended standards on residential consumers, DOE further evaluates the impact on 

identifiable groups of consumers (i.e., subgroups) that may be disproportionately affected by a 

national standard level. The consumer subgroup analysis evaluates impacts by analyzing the LCC 

and PBPs for subgroups of residential consumers. 

For both standard and compact dishwashers, DOE identified two consumer subgroups that 

warranted further study: (a) households composed of people 65 years of age or older (senior-only);

and (b) households at or below the poverty line (low-income).

DOE determined the impact on consumer subgroups for standard and compact 

dishwashers using the LCC spreadsheet model, which allows for the examination of particular 

consumer subgroups. DOE has the ability to use the LCC spreadsheet Model to analyze the LCC 

for any subgroup by sampling only the data that apply to that subgroup (Chapter 8 explains in 

detail the inputs to the model used in determining LCC and PBPs). As described in section 11.3, 

the energy use and energy price characteristics of the two subgroups (senior-only and lowincome) differ from those for the general population.

This chapter describes the subgroup identification in further detail and gives the results of the 

LCC and PBP analyses for the considered subgroups.

11.2 SUBGROUPS DEFINITION

11.2.1 Senior-Only Households

Senior-only households have occupants who are all at least 65 years of age. Based on the 

DOE Energy Information Administration (EIA)’s Residential Energy Consumption Survey of 2005

(RECS), senior-only households comprise 17 percent of the country’s households.

1

11.2.2 Low-Income Households

As defined in the RECS survey, low-income households are considered to be those at or 

below the “poverty line.” The “poverty line” varies with household size, head of household age, 

and family income. Table 11.2.1 summarizes the income level baselines for selecting lowincome households from the RECS sample. The RECS survey classifies 15 percent of the 

country’s households as low-income.
11-2

Table 11.2.1 RECS 2005 Definitions of Low-Income Households by Yearly Income

Average Income $

Household 

Size

48 Contiguous 

States and D.C.

Alaska Hawaii

1 9,570 11,950 11,010

2 12,830 16,030 14,760

3 16,090 20,100 18,510

4 19,350 24,190 22,260

5 22,610 28,270 26,010

6 25,870 32,350 29,760

7 29,130 36,430 33,510

8 32,390 40,510 37,260

9 35,650 44,590 41,010

10 38,910 48,670 44,760

11 42,170 52,750 48,510

12 45,430 56,830 52,260

13 48,690 60,910 56,010

14 51,950 64,990 59,760

15 55,210 69,070 63,510

11.3 INPUTS TO CONSUMER SUBGROUP ANALYSIS

DOE performed the consumer subgroup analysis by analyzing the LCC and PBP of 

senior-only and low-income households with the spreadsheet models used for the LCC and PBP

analysis.

Table 11.3.1 summarizes the household populations, while Table 11.3.2 and Table 11.3.3

summarize the weighted-average annual energy use for the households analyzed in the consumer 

subgroup analyses. These values are compared against the weighted-average values for the national 

sample.

Table 11.3.1 Household Population

National

Count Sum

2,480 64,729,484

Senior-Only 194 4,156,036

Senior-Only % 7.8 6.4

Low-Income 350 9,723,536

Low-Income % 14.1 15.0
11-3

Table 11.3.2 Weighted-Average Annual Electricity Use for Standard-Sized

Dishwashers

All

Households

SeniorOnlyLowIncome

Efficiency 

Level

Baseline

kWh/year

211 169 202

EL1 195 161 190

EL2 196 160 185

EL3 201 164 185

EL4 150 123 142

EL5 145 118 127

Table 11.3.3 Weighted-Average Annual Electricity Use for Compact Dishwashers

All

Households

SeniorOnlyLowIncome

Efficiency 

Level

Baseline

kWh/year

160 128 151

EL1 144 120 137

EL2 107 89 100

11.4 RESULTS

Table 11.4.1 through Table 11.4.4 summarize the subgroup results for standard and compact 

dishwashers. The LCC results provide the average installed price; average lifetime operating cost

(discounted); average life-cycle cost; average life-cycle cost savings; the percentage of consumers 

that are burdened with net costs, realize net savings, or are not impacted; and the median payback 

period.
11-4

11.4.1 Senior-Only Households

Table 11.4.1 Standard-Sized Dishwashers: LCC and PBP Results for Senior-Only 

Households

Level

Life-Cycle Cost 2010$ Life-Cycle Cost Savings Payback 

Period

Median 

Average 

Installed 

Price years

Average 

Operating 

Cost

Average 

LCC

Average 

Savings 

% Households with

2010$

Net

Cost

No 

Impact*

Net 

Benefit

Baseline 630 397 1,027 NA 0 100 0 NA

1 656 366 1,022 0 2 96 1 7.2

2 674 342 1,016 2 16 71 13 13.3

3 726 324 1,050 -19 54 38 8 42.3

4 734 261 996 24 36 20 44 8.5

5 745 191 936 78 29 9 62 5.7

* “No impact” means that the base case product assigned to the household has greater efficiency than the level 

indicated, so the household is not affected.

Table 11.4.2 Compact Dishwashers: LCC and PBP Results for Senior-Only

Households

Level

Life-Cycle Cost 2010$ Life-Cycle Cost Savings Payback 

Period

Median 

Average 

Installed 

Price years

Average 

Operating 

Cost

Average 

LCC

Average 

Savings 

% Households with

2010$

Net

Cost

No 

Impact*

Net 

Benefit

Baseline 621 288 910 NA 0 100 0 NA

1 623 249 871 9 8 76 16 0.4

2 638 170 808 41 7 50 43 2.7

* “No impact” means that the base case product assigned to the household has greater efficiency than the level 

indicated, so the household is not affected.
11-5

11.4.2 Low-Income Households

Table 11.4.3 Standard-Sized Dishwashers: LCC and PBP Results for Low-Income

Households

Level

Life-Cycle Cost 2010$ Life-Cycle Cost Savings Payback 

Period

Median 

Average 

Installed 

Price years

Average 

Operating 

Cost

Average 

LCC

Average 

Savings 

% Households with

2010$

Net

Cost

No 

Impact*

Net 

Benefit

Baseline 630 402 1,032 NA 0 100 0 NA

1 655 370 1,025 0 2 96 1 5.6

2 674 344 1,018 3 16 71 13 13.6

3 725 325 1,050 -17 53 38 9 41.4

4 734 263 997 26 39 20 41 9.1

5 744 189 933 84 32 9 59 6.0

* “No impact” means that the base case product assigned to the household has greater efficiency than the level 

indicated, so the household is not affected.

Table 11.4.4 Compact Dishwashers: LCC and PBP Results for Low-Income

Households

Level

Life-Cycle Cost 2010$ Life-Cycle Cost Savings Payback 

Period

Median 

Average 

Installed 

Price years

Average 

Operating 

Cost

Average 

LCC

Average 

Savings 

2010$

%

Net

Cost

Households with

No 

Impact*

Net 

Benefit

Baseline 621 292 913 NA 0 100 0 NA

1 622 250 872 10 9 76 15 0.3

2 637 170 807 43 8 50 42 3.3

* “No impact” means that the base case product assigned to the household has greater efficiency than the level 

indicated, so the household is not affected.
11-6 

REFERENCES

1. U.S. Department of Energy–Energy Information Administration. Residential Energy 

Consumption Survey: 2005 Public Use Data Files. Washington, DC. (Last accessed July 10, 

2012.) <http://www.eia.gov/emeu/recs/recspubuse05/pubuse05.html>