our Housing + Energy Projects
Across the Tennessee Valley
Summer 2023 – Fall 2024
"Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Home Uplift Initiative Non-Energy Impact Studies” (Metro Regions)
For the past several years, Three3 has been working with TVA to capture and estimate observed non-energy impacts (NEIs) stemming from their low-income weatherization initiative, Home Uplift, implemented in multiple metro areas across the Tennessee Valley. The collection of studies described below all serve to build evidence and share experiences with housing quality and energy affordability before and after Home Uplift weatherization.
"Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Home Uplift Initiative Non-Energy Impact Studies” (Metro Regions)
For the past several years, Three3 has been working with TVA to capture and estimate observed non-energy impacts (NEIs) stemming from their low-income weatherization initiative, Home Uplift, implemented in multiple metro areas across the Tennessee Valley. The collection of studies described below all serve to build evidence and share experiences with housing quality and energy affordability before and after Home Uplift weatherization.
Summer 2018 – Spring 2022 "Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Home Uplift Initiative Non-Energy Impact Survey Three3 conducted 701 Home Uplift household surveys across the Valley to to estimate select health and wellbeing, dwelling quality, and household economic outcomes to measure broader impacts, such as reduced energy burden and advancements in health equity. The evaluation applied a quasi-experimental approach with both treatment (weatherized) and control (non-weatherized) group household to measure NEIs attributable to Home Uplift. Summer 2021 – Spring 2025
Measuring Potential Impacts of Home Uplift Weatherization through TennCare (Medicaid) Claims Data Few studies that measure the health and well-being benefits of weatherization programs have accessed healthcare records from the households they serve. In 2021, Three3 partnered with the Tennessee Valley Authority and the State of Tennessee’s TennCare division and set out to link household survey, weatherization, and healthcare claims data. When put together, what do all these data pieces tell us about weatherization and health? Findings from this study on the impacts of TVA’s weatherization program, Home Uplift, on Medicaid insurance claims were explored across a range of health diagnostic codes used by healthcare practitioners and insurance providers, including Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) codes. Through this project, we detailed how Medicaid claims data compare to self-reported healthcare utilization information collected from survey data previously collected. Click here to read the report. |
Summer 2018 – Spring 2022 "Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Home Uplift Initiative Qualitative Study and Micro-documentaries" Qualitative information was collected through in-depth interviews with households participating in the Data With a Soul (DWaS) component of our evaluation. The DWaS project used microdocs (short documentary films) to capture the human stories in response to observable changes in quality of life, thermal stress, indoor environmental quality, and energy burden as a result of Home Uplift. Summer 2022 – Fall 2024
Examining Home Environments and Asthma Interventions in the Tennessee Valley This study, funded through a U.S. Housing and Urban Development Health Homes Technical Studies grant, aims to measure differences in indoor air quality and respiratory health outcomes for participants in both weatherized and unweatherized homes in Memphis, Knoxville, Nashville, and Chattanooga, TN. This study explores the the gap between what is known about how these interventions impact indoor environment quality (IEQ) in different environments and to better understand observed variations in asthma outcomes despite targeted interventions. The project consists of in-depth interviews, housing assessments, healthy housing interviews, IEQ monitoring, a series of Asthma Control Tests – to be merged with existing evaluation and Medicaid data. Upon collection of baseline data, low-cost air purification devices (such as air filters or box fan filters) will be installed and tested as a possible intervention to improve indoor air quality. |
2022 – 2025
Weatherization and Health Effects Study
Three3 is an integral part of a research team that the University of Michigan has assembled to study the impacts of weatherization on sleep, cognition, and stress. Homes for this study are being recruited from Detroit, Milwaukee, and the four major metro areas in Tennessee. Adult respondents complete health-related surveys and cognitive tests pre-weatherization, one-year post-weatherization, and periodically throughout the year. The respondents also are asked to wear a sleep monitor for one week at the beginning of the project and another week after one year has passed. Temperature and humidity loggers are also placed in the bedrooms of the main respondents. Data analyses will explore whether weatherization can be correlated with improvements in sleep, cognition, and stress. Variations in indoor temperatures will also be correlated with the results of cognitive tests. Observed health benefits will be monetized. Three3 is managing the recruiting of homes in Tennessee, providing data analysis support, and providing leading support for the monetization effort. Funding for this five-year project is being provided by a prestigious R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health to the University of Michigan.
Weatherization and Health Effects Study
Three3 is an integral part of a research team that the University of Michigan has assembled to study the impacts of weatherization on sleep, cognition, and stress. Homes for this study are being recruited from Detroit, Milwaukee, and the four major metro areas in Tennessee. Adult respondents complete health-related surveys and cognitive tests pre-weatherization, one-year post-weatherization, and periodically throughout the year. The respondents also are asked to wear a sleep monitor for one week at the beginning of the project and another week after one year has passed. Temperature and humidity loggers are also placed in the bedrooms of the main respondents. Data analyses will explore whether weatherization can be correlated with improvements in sleep, cognition, and stress. Variations in indoor temperatures will also be correlated with the results of cognitive tests. Observed health benefits will be monetized. Three3 is managing the recruiting of homes in Tennessee, providing data analysis support, and providing leading support for the monetization effort. Funding for this five-year project is being provided by a prestigious R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health to the University of Michigan.
Summer 2022 – Summer 2024
Alerting Elders and Trusted Social Networks Living in Environmental Justice Communities about Imminent Risks to Their Health
This TVA funded pilot introduces a newly designed software system that provides alerts to elders about potentially hazardous indoor and outdoor environmental conditions. Development of the system and app, called EASIER – Elders Alert System about Imminent Environmental Risks provides real-time data on indoor temperature, humidity, TVOCs, PM 2.5, and CO2 are used to generate alerts which are communicated to elders via the tablets and to members of their designated social networks via text or email. The project demonstrates common indoor air thresholds that are exceeded regularly in homes with elders, possible causes, and implications for this age grouping versus other age groups since elders are more likely to be impacted by poor IAQ such as extreme temperatures. This project includes an environmental and energy justice (EEJ) framework that acts as a living document throughout the project to ensure that there is equity in process, access, and especially benefits to the community. The project demonstrates how culture and age influence health risk prioritization and communications, how housing impacts social determinants of health, and includes what health risks related to indoor air quality are most important to bring to elders’ attention under varying home conditions and behaviors. We continue to learn a great deal from the pilot project about the indoor and outdoor environmental injustice impacts on human health in Knoxville and more about the daily risks that indoor environmental injustice poses to elders.
Click here to watch a video of the project overview and participant testimonials.
Alerting Elders and Trusted Social Networks Living in Environmental Justice Communities about Imminent Risks to Their Health
This TVA funded pilot introduces a newly designed software system that provides alerts to elders about potentially hazardous indoor and outdoor environmental conditions. Development of the system and app, called EASIER – Elders Alert System about Imminent Environmental Risks provides real-time data on indoor temperature, humidity, TVOCs, PM 2.5, and CO2 are used to generate alerts which are communicated to elders via the tablets and to members of their designated social networks via text or email. The project demonstrates common indoor air thresholds that are exceeded regularly in homes with elders, possible causes, and implications for this age grouping versus other age groups since elders are more likely to be impacted by poor IAQ such as extreme temperatures. This project includes an environmental and energy justice (EEJ) framework that acts as a living document throughout the project to ensure that there is equity in process, access, and especially benefits to the community. The project demonstrates how culture and age influence health risk prioritization and communications, how housing impacts social determinants of health, and includes what health risks related to indoor air quality are most important to bring to elders’ attention under varying home conditions and behaviors. We continue to learn a great deal from the pilot project about the indoor and outdoor environmental injustice impacts on human health in Knoxville and more about the daily risks that indoor environmental injustice poses to elders.
Click here to watch a video of the project overview and participant testimonials.
Three3 and the pilot partners working on the EASIER – Elders Alert System about Imminent Environmental Risks system to help elders age inside their homes safely and with dignity were national finalists named in the Seventh Annual Smart Cities North America Awards. |
CLIMATE ACTION PROJECTS
Winter 2024 – Summer 2025
Knoxville Area Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Planning
The City of Knoxville, the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization, and other jurisdictions within the Knoxville Metropolitan Statistical Area have entered into a collaboration to develop a (recently published) Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) and (to be drafted) Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) required by their EPA awarded Carbon Pollution Reduction Grant (CRRG). ICF, an international known consulting firm, will assist this team by inventorying greenhouse gas emissions in the Knoxville region. ICF has subcontracted with Three3 to provide local consultation services and possible data collection and support with particular focus on low-income, disadvantaged communities (LIDAC) engagement and analysis.
Knoxville Area Climate Pollution Reduction Grant Planning
The City of Knoxville, the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization, and other jurisdictions within the Knoxville Metropolitan Statistical Area have entered into a collaboration to develop a (recently published) Priority Climate Action Plan (PCAP) and (to be drafted) Comprehensive Climate Action Plan (CCAP) required by their EPA awarded Carbon Pollution Reduction Grant (CRRG). ICF, an international known consulting firm, will assist this team by inventorying greenhouse gas emissions in the Knoxville region. ICF has subcontracted with Three3 to provide local consultation services and possible data collection and support with particular focus on low-income, disadvantaged communities (LIDAC) engagement and analysis.
Health Equity Projects
Summer 2022 - Spring 2025
UTMC Health Equity Portraits
Funded by the CDC's Health Disparities grant, the University of Tennessee Medical Center commissioned Three3 to develop health equity portraits for each of the 21 counties that UTMC serves across East Tennessee. The study included compiling a database of over 500 health and health equity-related metrics on each county. In addition, the team fielded 119 stakeholder surveys, conducted 22 stakeholder interviews, and held focus groups in 17 of the 21 counties (reaching over 140 individuals) in East Tennessee to inform the development of the health equity portraits. These portraits provide brief overviews of relevant county history and measures each county's Health, Social Determinants of Health (such as food access and economic metrics), and Demographics alongside national statistics.
The Health Equity Portraits are organized into three sections: 1.) characterization of the population and geographical area, 2.) a portrait on population health (including statistics on health and social disparities) and access to healthcare, and 3.) a picture on the social determinants of health (e.g., unemployment, housing insecurity). The primary objective is to provide useful information to individuals and organizations working and living in the target areas, as well as UTMC staff delivering services in those target areas, and to better understand community health inequities and their social determinants. A publicly available database – to be published during 2024 –contains ~ 10,000 data points on metrics and indicators related to health and social determinant of health outcomes. The Health Equity Project is now completed, and the portraits are available for viewing here.
UTMC Health Equity Portraits
Funded by the CDC's Health Disparities grant, the University of Tennessee Medical Center commissioned Three3 to develop health equity portraits for each of the 21 counties that UTMC serves across East Tennessee. The study included compiling a database of over 500 health and health equity-related metrics on each county. In addition, the team fielded 119 stakeholder surveys, conducted 22 stakeholder interviews, and held focus groups in 17 of the 21 counties (reaching over 140 individuals) in East Tennessee to inform the development of the health equity portraits. These portraits provide brief overviews of relevant county history and measures each county's Health, Social Determinants of Health (such as food access and economic metrics), and Demographics alongside national statistics.
The Health Equity Portraits are organized into three sections: 1.) characterization of the population and geographical area, 2.) a portrait on population health (including statistics on health and social disparities) and access to healthcare, and 3.) a picture on the social determinants of health (e.g., unemployment, housing insecurity). The primary objective is to provide useful information to individuals and organizations working and living in the target areas, as well as UTMC staff delivering services in those target areas, and to better understand community health inequities and their social determinants. A publicly available database – to be published during 2024 –contains ~ 10,000 data points on metrics and indicators related to health and social determinant of health outcomes. The Health Equity Project is now completed, and the portraits are available for viewing here.
