Behavioral factors underlying energy consumption pattern: A cross-sectional study on industrial sector of Bangladesh

Abstract

Energy consumption and wastage are increasing proportionally with the growth of the industrial sector of Bangladesh. This study explores the energy consumption behavior of industrial staff in the light of sociodemographic and behavioral aspects using questionnaire sourced survey data. Based on the feedback of 827 employees from the 20 types of industries, behavioral constructs are formed using exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis. In addition, a descriptive statistical analysis and a logistic regression model are used to identify the impact of these constructs as well as sociodemographic variables on staff’s consumption behavior. Eight constructs were selected based on the different behavioral theories and energy culture model. They include personal consumption behavior, technology adoption norms, training and supervision, openness to change, technological ignorance, energy self-efficacy, engagement, and responsibility. Analysis of the data reveals that awareness building program through training is notably neglected in the industries of Bangladesh. Also, the staff do not differ in consumption behavior in regards to gender, level of education, age-group, and educational background. Adopting new technologies, increasing awareness through training, and improving responsibility can significantly ameliorate consumption behavior, whereas ignorance of technology adoption makes consumption behavior worse. This work can be considered as baseline data on the energy conservation pattern in the industrial sector of Bangladesh. The findings recommend developing policies, regulations, and guides to give equal importance to both energy efficiency and conservation programs for exploiting maximum energy saving opportunities.