Current Projects
"Evidence for Action--Investigator-Initiated Research to Build a Culture of Health"
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) awarded $40 million to seven communities in their service territory in the Southeastern United States to implement an Extreme Energy Makeover (EEM) program, with the goal of improving the energy efficiency of homes inhabited by households of low socioeconomic status. Due to the increased attention to our non-energy benefit research we have been conducting around the country, we were invited by TVA to submit a research design that would look beyond the energy savings and explore the health impacts of Knoxville's Extreme Energy Makeover (KEEM) program. This project will also: examine how the energy cost savings affect household budgets and expenditures on health and well-being; and, will create a database of the characteristics, health impacts, and costs and savings of weatherization. The database and findings from the study will inform optimization of low-income energy efficiency and healthy housing programs, particularly in moderate and hot-humid climate zones. This project is being supported by a grant awarded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
"Health and Resilience Benefits of Improving the Energy Efficiency of Affordable Multifamily Housing"
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This project, supported by a planning grant awarded by The JPB Foundation, will be used to develop research designs to assess the health impacts and resilience benefits—both building systems and social resilience—of improving the energy-efficiency of affordable multifamily (MF) housing. The study began with assembling stakeholder workshops in these three sectors in order to solicit inputs to numerous questions related to the research designs.
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The resilience study will:
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"Non-Energy Impacts (NEIs) of Healthier Energy-Efficiency Materials in Affordable Multifamily Housing”
Energy efficiency (EE) retrofits have been shown to produce household NEIs by reducing the intrusion of allergens, pests and outdoor noise pollution; all of which could directly impact asthma prevalence, mental health, and quality of life. Through this study we will:
Energy efficiency (EE) retrofits have been shown to produce household NEIs by reducing the intrusion of allergens, pests and outdoor noise pollution; all of which could directly impact asthma prevalence, mental health, and quality of life. Through this study we will:
- Establish if "healthier" energy efficiency materials have the potential to directly improve occupants’ health even more so than traditional energy-efficiency materials.
- Establish if direct benefits are substantial enough to reduce an occupants' healthcare costs and reduce missed days of work due to poor health.
- Identify any potential negative impacts on human health, directly from material components and indirectly through physical changes to the building (e.g., that could negatively effect indoor air quality).
- Identify societal benefits and challenges attributable to the production and end-of-life characteristics of healthier EE materials (e.g., environmental, economic).
"Weatherization + Health Enhanced Program Impact Study"
Three3 has been contracted by Opportunity Council (OC), located in Bellingham, Washington, to assist in their efforts to define and optimize its Weatherization + Health program impact potential for “high utilization” recipients of the healthcare system. Three3 has taken the lead in securing Washington State Institutional Review Board (WSIRB) approval for accessing Medicaid records through the Health Care Authority (HCA) linkable to participants in OC's Weatherization Plus Health programs. Throughout the project, Three3 will provide “Evaluation Design” Technical Assistance, be available for quality assurance, and peer review any impact analyses completed by the OC.
Three3 has been contracted by Opportunity Council (OC), located in Bellingham, Washington, to assist in their efforts to define and optimize its Weatherization + Health program impact potential for “high utilization” recipients of the healthcare system. Three3 has taken the lead in securing Washington State Institutional Review Board (WSIRB) approval for accessing Medicaid records through the Health Care Authority (HCA) linkable to participants in OC's Weatherization Plus Health programs. Throughout the project, Three3 will provide “Evaluation Design” Technical Assistance, be available for quality assurance, and peer review any impact analyses completed by the OC.
