Adoption Of Energy Efficient Appliances Research Articles

Two (or more) for one: Identifying classes of household energy- and water-saving measures to understand the potential for positive spillover.

A key component of behavior-based energy conservation programs is the identification of target behaviors. A common approach is to target behaviors with the greatest energy-saving potential. The concept of behavioral spillover introduces further considerations, namely that adoption of one energy-saving behavior may increase (or decrease) the likelihood of other energy-saving behaviors. This research aimed to identify and describe household energy- and water-saving measure classes within which positive spillover is likely to occur (e.g., adoption of energy-efficient appliances may correlate with adoption of water-efficient appliances), and explore demographic and psychographic predictors of each. Nearly 1,000 households in a California city were surveyed and asked to report whether they had adopted 75 different energy- and/or water-saving measures. Principal Component Analysis and Network Analysis based on correlations between adoption of these diverse measures revealed and characterized eight water-energy-saving measure classes: Water Conservation, Energy Conservation, Maintenance and Management, Efficient Appliance, Advanced Efficiency, Efficient Irrigation, Green Gardening, and Green Landscaping. Understanding these measure classes can help guide behavior-based energy program developers in selecting target behaviors and designing interventions.

Examining consumer's purchasing behavior of energy-efficient appliance through the lenses of theory of planned behavior and environmental factors

PurposeThis study investigates consumer purchases of energy-efficient appliances (EEAs). The adoption of EEA would reduce the detrimental impact of the environment from the consumer behavioral perspective.Design/methodology/approachThis study evaluates consumer purchase of EEA based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), environmental factors, and consumer energy-efficient behavior (EEB). Applying partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), 412 household respondents within the five regions in Malaysia were analyzed.FindingsFindings depicted that EEB has a significant influence on intention to purchase and subsequently purchasing behavior of EEA. Similarly, the TPB variables were significant predictors of EEB and intention to purchase except for attitude. Meanwhile, among the environmental factors, only environmental awareness was significant.Research limitations/implicationsImplications include integrating educational programs through formal and informal measures. The former includes infusing within the mainstream educational system. On the other hand, the latter is through effective and captivating media communication.Originality/valueThe integration of EEB towards consumers' intention and behavior of purchasing EEAs.

Determinants of Consumers’ Intentions towards the Purchase of Energy Efficient Appliances in Pakistan: An Extended Model of the Theory of Planned Behavior

Amplified energy demand due to technologically advanced electrical and electronic appliances has accentuated the importance of energy efficiency to overcome energy shortage and environmental concerns. As adoption of energy efficient appliances depends on perception of the consumers, this study focuses on behavioral exploration of the consumers’ intentions towards the purchase of energy efficient appliances using an extended model of the theory of planned behavior (TPB). The study is based on a survey comprising 289 respondents. Partial least square (PLS) method is used to analyze the data. The results show that the attitude, perceived behavioral control, policy information campaigns, and past-purchase experiences significantly impact behavioral intentions of the consumers, whereas subjective and moral norms are insignificant in shaping behavioral intentions. Based on analyses, policy implications emphasizing (i) strong awareness campaigns, (ii) energy efficiency incentives, and (iii) replacement initiatives are proposed to help policy makers and administrators in achieving required goals of energy efficiency and conservation. The proposed research model and policy initiatives are a blueprint for synergies among policymakers, practitioners, and researchers in understanding and shaping consumers’ behaviors towards the purchase of energy efficient products, particularly, in developing countries.

Time-of-Use Electricity Pricing and Residential Low-carbon Energy Technology Adoption

This paper provides the first empirical evidence on the correlation between Time-Of-Use (TOU) electricity pricing and the adoption of energy efficient appliances and solar panels. We use household-level data in Phoenix, Arizona from an appliance saturation survey of about 16,000 customers conducted by a major electric utility. Our empirical results show that TOU consumers are associated with 27% higher likelihood to install solar panels but not more likely to adopt energy-efficient air conditioning based on the propensity score matching and coarsened exact matching methods. The findings highlight that policy makers could combine TOU and solar panels when implementing educational programs or when giving out financial incentives to consumers. Our results imply that TOU is associated with a similar impact of the incentive offered by $2,070∼$10,472 tax credits or rebates on solar adoption.

Demographics of sustainable technology consumption in an emerging market: the significance of education to energy efficient appliance adoption

PurposeThis paper aims to address gaps in the sustainable technology literature by evaluating the demographics of energy efficient appliance consumption in Vietnam. Sustainable technologies can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address environmental problems such as air quality and climate change. Opportunity is the greatest in emerging markets, where population growth has triggered dramatic rises in electricity consumption. However, their adoption of energy efficient appliances has been slow and understanding why is limited.Design/methodology/approachFollowing a literature review, a questionnaire was designed to capture sustainable consumption attitudes and behaviours. In total, 682 interviews were conducted among Vietnamese electrical appliance consumers to investigate the influence of demographics on sustainable technology consumption.FindingsWhile many respondents were aware of the sustainable benefits of energy efficient appliances, this did not generally translate into responsible purchase behaviour. Of the demographic variables, education had the strongest relationship with sustainability. Those with higher incomes and more children were also more likely to exhibit sustainable consumption attitudes and behaviours. Gender and age were weaker sustainability predictors.Originality/valueThis study is relevant to a wide range of sustainable technology contexts. The literature shows contrary findings regarding relationships between demographics and sustainable consumption, and the value of demographics to sustainable consumer segmentation and targeted behaviour change campaigns has been contested by some researchers. This research highlights education as the most significant demographic predictor of sustainable consumption and reveals the consistency of this finding with many other studies. The implications of this for promoting future sustainability are discussed.

Getting More of Something Without Subsidizing It: Impact of Time-of-Use Electricity Pricing on Residential Energy Efficiency and Solar Panel Adoption

This paper provides the first empirical evidence of the impact of Time-Of-Use (TOU) electricity pricing on the adoption of energy efficient appliances and solar panels. A theoretical model is constructed to show that TOU customers have a larger incentive to adopt these technologies compared to customers on non-dynamic pricing plans. Using household-level data in Phoenix, Arizona from an appliance saturation survey of about 16,000 customers conducted by a major electric utility and relying on propensity score matching and coarsened exact matching to address potential selection bias, empirical results show that TOU consumers are 27% more likely to install solar panels but not more likely to adopt energy-efficient air conditioning. The findings highlight that TOU can act as a cost-effective policy instrument to facilitate solar panel adoption, compared to other more costly instruments with a similar magnitude of impacts such as tax credits or rebates of $2,070~$10,472.

Factors affecting energy-saving behaviours and energy efficiency investments in British households

The objective of this paper is to identify the socio-demographic, dwelling, and environmental factors that have the strongest influence on the daily energy-saving behaviours, the adoption of energy efficient appliances and the energy efficient retrofit investments made by British households. This study uses British household data from the “Survey of Public Attitudes and Behaviours towards the Environment” collected in 2009, and employs nonlinear principal components analysis (NLPCA), ordinary least squares (OLS) regression, and probit models. The results show different household profiles with specific features driving daily energy-saving behaviours and energy efficiency investments. Environmental variables are a good predictor of both energy-saving behaviours and investment in energy efficient appliances but not of energy efficient retrofit measures. Results of income and dwelling type variables with regard to energy-saving behaviours and energy efficient retrofit investments significantly diverge; in addition, interesting patterns emerge with respect to the respondents’ age, sex, and marital status. By evaluating and understanding the household and dwelling characteristics that affect energy-saving behaviours and energy efficiency investments, it is possible to obtain a clearer idea of where and how energy and emissions savings can be made, and to propose effective and targeted policies that promote energy-responsible lifestyles.

Assessment of the Governance System Regarding Adoption of Energy Efficient Appliances by Households in Nigeria

The adoption of energy efficient electrical appliances by households has a great potential to reduce electricity consumption in Nigeria. A well-formulated and implemented policy (mix) to spur adoption is said to be required to drive this process. This article presents an assessment of policies that aim to spur adoption among households, and the related governance system. The analytical framework used for this analysis is the Governance Assessment Tool (GAT). Data collection involved semi-structured interviews, a review of policy documents, and secondary quantitative data. The results show that policies in Nigeria had little effect in meeting pre-set goals. The governance system was found to be weakly developed due to a lack of policy, the overlapping work of different governmental organizations, a lack of appropriate resources, and a lack of householders’ involvement in agenda-setting and decision-making processes. Current actions mostly depend on local programmes that run via donor aid. They include the free exchange of CFL bulbs and metering studies of end user energy consumption. The results add further insight in the fields of governance and policy on energy efficiency issues in developing countries. This article also provides suggestions for the design of policies that target the adoption of energy efficient electrical appliances among households in Nigeria.

Narrowing the Energy Efficiency Gap: The Impact of Educational Programs, Online Support Tools and Energy-Related Investment Literacy

There is evidence that many individuals make sub-optimal investment decisions when the benefits and costs associated with that decision are distributed over time. One example is the decision to adopt new electrical appliances, with the benefits of choosing a more energy efficient device materializing only in the future. This paper analyses the impact of the level of an individual’s energy-related investment literacy on the adoption of energy-efficient appliances. Moreover, the empirical analysis explores the impact of decision support tools such as educational slides on the probability that individuals identify the appliance with the lowest lifetime cost, which is ideally also the most energy-efficient appliance. To test the influence of these decision support tools, we developed an online randomized controlled trial and implemented it on two independently chosen samples of the Swiss population. One treatment offers a short education program on how to calculate the lifetime cost of an appliance – via a set of information slides. The second intervention provides access to an online calculator that supports the investment decision-making of the individual. Results across the two samples are encouraging. We find that i) pre-treatment energy and investment literacy positively impact on the probability of identifying the appliance with the lowest lifetime cost; ii) the reinforcement of energy-related investment literacy increases the rate at which individuals identify the appliance with the lowest lifetime cost; and iii) while both interventions are effective in increasing the chances that an appliance with the lower lifetime cost is chosen, the online calculator turned out to be more effective than the educational program. Public policy implications are discussed.

Modeling the carbon consequences of pro-environmental consumer behavior

Households, as consumers of goods and services through their lifestyles and spending choices, drive environmental change. Using a recent (2008) social and environmental survey of Spanish households, we evaluate the effects of improvements in environmental awareness, and of changes induced by regulations and carbon taxes. We consider these drivers of behavioral change for different income levels. A range of scenarios including the adoption of energy efficient appliances, modal shift to public transport, healthier diets, and the associated carbon emissions and job effects, are estimated using a Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model. Our results suggest that reductions in carbon dioxide, methane, and sulphur dioxide emissions may be compatible with increases in income and reductions in unemployment. Modal shift to public transport is shown as a successful economic and environmental policy.