Energy information engagement among the poor: Predicting participation in a free workshop

Abstract

Although one option for increasing low-income consumer knowledge regarding household energy use is the development of free or low-cost educational workshops, exactly how to promote attendance for such workshops remains an open question. Here we briefly outline results from a set of in-depth interviews with applicants to the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program in Durham County, NC, USA. Models predicting intended attendance at workshops or community meetings suggested that factors such as utility costs, social norms, perceived ability to plan ahead, and perceived accessibility of energy information all matter more than one's general attitude toward energy workshop attendance. Many respondents expressed interest in energy education materials and faced challenging utility costs, but meeting attendance appears to be constrained by the everyday life obstacles of the poor.