2009 Residential Appliance Saturation Study (RASS)

In 2009, the California Energy Commission funded and administered a Residential Appliance Saturation Study (RASS) that served as an update to the 2003 RASS. Participating utilities included Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE), Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP).

The study was implemented as a mail survey with an option for respondents to complete it online. The survey requested households to provide information on appliances, equipment, and general consumption patterns. Data collection was completed in early 2010.

The study yielded energy consumption estimates for 27 electric and 10 natural gas residential end-uses and appliance saturations for households. These consumption estimates were developed using a conditional demand analysis, an approach that applied statistical methods to combine survey data, household energy consumption data and weather information to calculate average annual consumption estimates per appliance. The 2009 RASS resulted in end-use saturations for 24,464 individually metered and 1,257 master-metered households. Survey and conditional demand analysis results were weighted to provide population level estimates representative of the participating utilities to allow comparison across utility service territories, forecast climate zones and other variables of interest, including dwelling type, dwelling age group, and income.

The documents listed below are no longer available on our website, but they can be obtained via Internet Archives Wayback Machine.

• Executive Summary
  (PDF file, 56 pages, 549 kb)
• Volume 1 - Methodology
  PDF file, 145 pages, 1.2 mb
• Volume 2 - Study Results
  PDF file, 37 pages, 430 kb
• Appendices
  PDF file, 261 pages, 24.6 mb
• Banner Subset - RASS Total Results
  PDF file, 1870 pages, 2.8 mb
• Banner subset - PG&E
  Subset of Volume 2 Banners - PG&E results. PDF file, 2 mb
• Banner subset - SCE
  Subset of Volume 2 Banners - SCE results. PDF file, 2.1 mb
• Banner subset - SDG&E
  Subset of Volume 2 Banners - SDG&E results. PDF file, 2.0 mb
• Banner subset - LADWP
  Subset of Volume 2 Banners - LADWP results. PDF file, 2.0 mb
• Banner subset - SoCalGas
  Subset of Volume 2 Banners - SoCalGas results. PDF file, 2.1 mb

RASS 2009 data was previously made available via the DNV Residential Appliance Saturation Study database, which was retired August 2026. Data available for request are below. RASS 2009 cleaned survey data is also available. RASS data requests should be directed to RASS@energy.ca.gov.