A.2 Housing Energy Burden A.3 Weatherization Program & Landmarked Structures -

Using this evaluation, the teams decided which policy interventions. Due to time and pandemic-related constraints, the team did not conduct resident interviews. Furthermore, the team did not reach out to every stakeholder that is identified in this plan.

However, four interviews were conducted throughout the planning process:

- Blue Island Planning Department - Chicago Vintage Homeland Association - OAI Workforce Development - The head of former BIOS Farm, Joe O'Meara

The team remained cognizant of the missing voices from residents and stakeholders. The decision of which policy interventions and their design is based on the research conducted about current conditions, the criteria and goals identified by the team, and the four interviews conducted.

A.2 Housing Energy Burden

Limitations on Household Energy Consumption The limitation of the Census’ data is that the methodology appears to only categorize housing units based on what their primary method of heating is. However, in many circumstances, most forms of gas heating also use electricity to monitor systems like pumps and controls. For example, in older, typically historic houses where a gas boiler is connected to radiators, an estimated 5% of total energy is electrical. While conversions of neighborhood energy sources towards more renewable options affects a housing structure externally, ideas for retrofitting older housing stock will have to encounter the realities of some of these cross-fuel systems.

Methodology for Calculating Monthly Bills:

Heating fuel bills vary depending on the household income and energy usage. Certain metrics, like calculating using the kilowatt hourly rate, are not dependable because they can change with every municipality. They are also not ideal because they require estimates of the average square footage of a dwelling unit, which can easily skew one way or another.

The analysis uses data from the Low-Income Energy Affordability Data (LEAD) Tool from the Department of Energy. The Tool uses Public Use Microdata Samples (PUMS) from the 2018 American Community Survey, and is therefore its own limitation. PUMS data allow for the creation of new datasets of estimates for a particular subject, and the Department of Energy uses them to describe energy burden. The default method is to categorize the study area’s population into cohorts based on the Area Median Income (AMI) for a family of four. The average family size in the three tracts is 3.65 which is comparable to the LEAD Tool’s 4-person household calculations. This AMI statistic is calculated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, which--for our study area--assesses the incomes of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin Metropolitan Statistical Area. It places the Area Median Income at $84,600 a year. This means 50% of the metropolitan population earns more than $84,600 and 50% of the metropolitan population earns less than $84,600.