The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) has requirements for websites, applications, customer surveys, and user experience (UX) research that collect information. Such collections may be subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act and the collected information may be personally identifiable information (PII) subject to the Privacy Act.
No information may be collected without first consulting with your program counsel, or for matters related to financial assistance, Christopher Calamita.
Personally Identifiable Information
The Privacy Act governs a federal agency's ability to collect, use, maintain, or disseminate a record about an individual. The Privacy Act also grants individuals increased rights of access and amendment of agency records maintained on themselves and restricts disclosure of records.
PII is information that can be used to distinguish or trace an individual's identity, either alone or when combined with other information that is linked or linkable to a specific individual. PII can include unique individual identifiers or combinations of identifiers, such as an individual’s name, Social Security number, date and place of birth, mother’s maiden name, biometric data, etc. (as defined by OMB Circular A-130).
Prior to collecting information, contact your program counsel for additional help in determining the potential applicability of the Privacy Act.
More information on PII, as well as the rules governing its gathering, storage and release, are available on the EERE intranet.
Paperwork Reduction Act for Surveys and User Research
The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) generally requires agencies to obtain approval from Office of Management and Budget (OMB) prior to collecting information from 10 or more persons, even if responses are voluntary.
If your survey or UX research project collects information from 10 or more persons, contact your program counsel, or for matters related to financial assistance, Christopher Calamita, to determine whether an approval is required under the PRA.