An Inside Look at a U.S. Department of Energy Impact EvaluationFramework for Deployment Programs

The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of EnergyEfficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is developing a theory-basedapproach to impact evaluation that could be used by its deploymentprograms for evaluating energy savings and market effects with credibleattribution of impacts (DOE forthcoming). The purpose of this paper is todescribethe framework and its research design. The framework alsoprovides information for program improvement in a consistent andstructured manner. It joins Everett Rogers' diffusion of innovationtheory with logic models to examine linkages between program activities,target audiences, behavioral and institutional changes, and energysavings or adoption of cleaner energy sources. Using the framework'stemplates, a program can describe its outcome goals and program logic, aswell as identify key outcome questions and indicators (metrics).Evaluators could use the framework to understand where to look within theprogram logic for measured outcomes such as sales or adopted technologiesand practices. Finally, by using the framework a causal link between theprogram and outcomes can be tested and alternative explanationsinvestigated.