AHS BILLEF, BILLEG, BILLEO, BILLET, BILLEW

AHS BILLEF, BILLEG, BILLEO, BILLET, BILLEW

Returning to the question about why BILLEF, BILLEG, BILLEO, BILLET, and BILLEW are not in the 2013 AHS PUF: The short answer is because they are useless variables and always have been. See below for the longer answer.

The BILLxy variables are flags that indicate whether utility x is included in the bill for y. For example, BILLGE means that the gas cost is included in the same bill as electricity. However, we don't include the redundant variables. If BILLGE is true, then you don't need a BILLEG. (It may help to think of it as a triangular matrix.) As it happens, "E" is the bill that is first considered when we classify the other fees (F,G,O,T, and W) as being billed with something. Thus, there is no need for any variables of the form BILLEy.

My thanks to Tamara Cole at Census for explaining this to me (yet again).

Dav Vandenbroucke
Senior Economist
U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development
451 7th Street SW, Room 8222
Washington, DC 20410

Email david.a.vandenbroucke@hud.gov
Phone 202-402-5890