Abstract
Many countries are facing a challenging transition towards more sustainable energy systems, which produce more renewables and consume less energy. The latter goal can only be achieved through a combination of efficiency measures and changes in people’s lifestyles and routine behaviours (i.e. sufficiency). While research has shown that acceptance of technical efficiency is relatively high, there is a lack of research on societal preferences for sufficiency measures. However, this is an important prerequisite for designing successful interventions to change behaviour. This paper analyses societal preferences for different energy-related behaviours in Switzerland. We use an online choice-based conjoint analysis (N=150) to examine preferences for behaviours with high technical potentials for energy demand reduction in the following domains: mobility, heating and food. Each domain comprises different attributes across three levels of sufficiency. Respondents were confronted with trade-off situations evoked through different fictional lifestyles that comprised different combinations of attribute levels. Through a series of trade-off decisions, participants were asked to choose their preferred lifestyle. The results revealed that a vegetarian diet was considered the most critical issue that respondents were unwilling to trade off, followed by distance to workplace and means of transportation. The highest willingness to trade off was found for adjustments in room temperature, holiday travel behaviours, and living space. Participants’ preferences for the most energy-sufficient lifestyles were rather low. However, the study showed that there were lifestyles with substantive energy-saving potentials that were well accepted among respondents. Our study results suggest that the success of energy-sufficiency interventions might depend strongly on the targeted behaviour. We speculate that they may face strong resistance (e.g., vegetarian diet). Thus, it seems promising to promote well-balanced lifestyles, rather than extremely energy-sufficient lifestyles, as potential role models for sufficiency.
Highlights
The Importance of Energy Sufficiency for Switzerland’s Energy TransitionCountries worldwide are facing challenging transitions of their energy systems with regard to fighting climate change and declining availability of fossil fuels
In a narrow sense, sufficiency can be understood as a necessary complement to energy efficiency and renewable energy sources in order to reach political goals regarding climate targets, resource use, or per capita energy consumption. It can be understood as a critique of our consumer society and our growth-based economic system, as well as of respective attempts to change these systems (Linz et al, 2002; Linz, 2012). We focus on the former, narrower understanding of sufficiency: that is, while energy efficiency refers to technological means to minimize resource input, energy
The goal of this paper is to identify societal preferences in Switzerland concerning different energy-related behaviors in order to reveal barriers and opportunities related to the promotion of energy sufficiency
Summary
The Importance of Energy Sufficiency for Switzerland’s Energy TransitionCountries worldwide are facing challenging transitions of their energy systems with regard to fighting climate change and declining availability of fossil fuels. Switzerland has adopted a new energy strategy (Energy Strategy 2050) that promotes the implementation of new renewables, the stepwise phase-out of nuclear power, and sets ambitious reduction targets for per capita energy consumption (Swiss Federal Council, 2013) This goal shall be achieved primarily through increased energy efficiency, i.e., through the implementation of technologies that require less energy to maintain current levels of services. Many appliances, such as fridges or TVs, are more energy efficient than ever before, these appliances have increased in size and/or in number over time Along these lines, researchers have found that people rely on symbols of energy efficiency, which may lead to paradoxical effects (Sütterlin and Siegrist, 2014). A purely technical approach is not enough to design a successful intervention; it needs to be combined with social-scientific knowledge on behavior and behavior change
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
