Household Energy Efficiency Research Articles

Removing barriers and promoting demand-side energy efficiency in households in Sub-Saharan Africa: A case study in Ghana

Adoption of higher energy efficiency for electrical appliances by consumers in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is challenged with a number of barriers despite its long term energy savings and economic benefits. Inefficient electrical appliances continue to flood the markets of most SSA countries with just a few of the counties having resolute energy efficiency programs with established energy efficiency standards and labels. This paper examines the barriers to energy efficiency in SSA, with a case study on how Ghana was able to overcome these barriers by using high levels of stakeholder engagement to develop and implement its energy efficiency standards and labels for electrical appliances.Analysis from this study reveals that the Ghana policy development process is consistent with a quadruple helix model of policy and marketplace innovation. The quadruple-helix analytical framework identifies four key sectors of society: government, academia, industry and public/media that drive energy efficiency knowledge and innovations. The resulting barrier removal and institutional transformations enabled by the quadruple-helix dynamics have laid the foundation for a dramatic expansion of Ghanaian energy efficiency policy-making. New energy efficiency policies in Ghana are expected to revise or implement new efficiency standards on a total of 20 product categories by 2022.

Influence of situational factors on household’s energy consumption behaviour

PurposeThis paper aims to present a systematic scoping review of the influences of some situational factors on the energy consumption behaviour of households. Household’s energy choice and manner of utilization define its energy consumption behaviour; it is a key factor in determining the energy efficiency of households. Despite the energy-efficient technological innovations and awareness on environmental/health implications of using certain energy sources and technologies, households still use inefficient, traditional energy sources and technologies. Some researchers have attempted to use economic and psychological theories to explain the situation with the hope of achieving a change in behaviour towards sustainable energy utilization but to no avail. This is because the theories fail to consider situations beyond individuals or households. A clear understanding of situational factors and how they influence household energy behaviour will provide information that will aid deeper research and policy formulation towards sustainable energy behaviour of households.Design/methodology/approachA scoping systematic review of available literature regarding real-life cases in both developed and developing countries was carried out to determine the possibility of situational factors affecting household energy choices and utilization.FindingsThe result of the review showed that situational factors have a significant influence on household’s energy consumption. The main policy implications observed are the need for laws that will encourage energy-saving renovations in houses, make compulsory the provision of recreational facilities in residential areas to reduce in-home energy consumption. The need for increased access to electricity and other efficient energy sources and cooking technologies has also been observed. Intensive awareness campaigns are required to disabuse the minds of people about cultural issues that mitigate improved cook stove adoption.Originality/valueThe paper provides information on the influence of some of the factors, which affect energy consumption in households, which fluctuate depending on the current situation of the consumer and are time-bound (situational factors). The information will help policymakers and regulators to understand the influence of situational factors on household energy consumption, thereby enabling them to make policies that will enhance sustainable energy consumption.

Household energy efficiency and health: Area-level analysis of hospital admissions in England

IntroductionFuel poverty affects up to 35% of European homes, which represents a significant burden on society and healthcare systems. Draught proofing homes to prevent heat loss, improved glazing, insulation and heating (energy efficiency measures) can make more homes more affordable to heat. This has prompted significant investment in energy efficiency upgrades for around 40% of UK households to reduce the impact of fuel poverty. Despite some inconsistent evidence, household energy efficiency interventions can improve cardiovascular and respiratory health outcomes. However, the health benefits of these interventions have not been fully explored; this is the focus of this study. MethodsIn this cross sectional ecological study, we conducted two sets of analyses at different spatial resolution to explore population data on housing energy efficiency measures and hospital admissions at the area-level (counts grouped over a 3-year period). Housing data were obtained from three data sets covering housing across England (Household Energy Efficiency Database), Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) and, in the South West of England, the Devon Home Analytics Portal. These databases provided data aggregated to Lower Area Super Output Area and postcode level (Home Analytics Portal only). These datasets provided measures of both state (e.g. EPC ratings) and intervention (e.g. number of boiler replacements), aggregated spatially and temporally to enable cross-sectional analyses with health outcome data. Hospital admissions for adult (over 18 years) asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) were obtained from the Hospital Episode Statistics database for the national (1st April 2011 to 31st March 2014) and Devon, South West of England (1st April 2014 to 31st March 2017) analyses. Descriptive statistics and regression models were used to describe the associations between small area household energy efficiency measures and hospital admissions. Three main analyses were undertaken to investigate the relationships between; 1) household energy efficiency improvements (i.e. improved glazing, insulation and boiler upgrades); 2) higher levels of energy efficiency ratings (measured by Energy Performance Certificate ratings); 3) energy efficiency improvements and ratings (i.e. physical improvements and rating assessed by the Standard Assessment Procedure) and hospital admissions. ResultsIn the national analyses, household energy performance certificate ratings ranged from 37 to 83 (mean 61.98; Standard Deviation 5.24). There were a total of 312,837 emergency admissions for asthma, 587,770 for COPD and 839,416 for CVD. While analyses for individual energy efficiency metrics (i.e. boiler upgrades, draught proofing, glazing, loft and wall insulation) were mixed; a unit increase in mean energy performance rating was associated with increases of around 0.5% in asthma and CVD admissions, and 1% higher COPD admission rates. Admission rates were also influenced by the type of dwelling, tenure status (e.g. home owner versus renting), living in a rural area, and minimum winter temperature. DiscussionDespite a range of limitations and some mixed and contrasting findings across the national and local analyses, there was some evidence that areas with more energy efficiency improvements resulted in higher admission rates for respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. This builds on existing evidence highlighting the complex relationships between health and housing. While energy efficiency measures can improve health outcomes (especially when targeting those with chronic respiratory illness), reduced household ventilation rates can impact indoor air quality for example and increase the risk of diseases such as asthma. Alternatively, these findings could be due to the ecological study design, reverse causality, or the non-detection of more vulnerable subpopulations, as well as the targeting of areas with poor housing stock, low income households, and the lack of “whole house approaches” when retrofitting the existing housing stock. ConclusionTo be sustainable, household energy efficiency policies and resulting interventions must account for whole house approaches (i.e. consideration of the whole house and occupant lifestyles). These must consider more alternative ‘greener’ and more sustainable measures, which are capable of accounting for variable lifestyles, as well as the need for adequate heating and ventilation. Larger natural experiments and more complex modelling are needed to further investigate the impact of ongoing dramatic changes in the housing stock and health. Study implicationsThis study supports the need for more holistic approaches to delivering healthier indoor environments, which must consider a dynamic and complex system with multiple interactions between a range of interrelated factors. These need to consider the drivers and pressures (e.g. quality of the built environment and resident behaviours) resulting in environmental exposures and adverse health outcomes.

Determinants of household energy efficiency investment: analysis of refrigerator purchasing behavior

Previous studies have reported that households tend to not choose an energy-efficient appliance even if appropriate energy-saving information is provided. To identify the determinants of energy efficiency investment, we conducted a household survey in the Tokyo metropolitan area. Specifically, we collect product model information for the refrigerator that a household owns and calculate the yearly loss incurred from choosing a less efficient model. We then identify socioeconomic characteristics of households that are associated with these yearly losses. We find that wealthy households with many family members tend to purchase inefficient models. We also find that a house-renter with a high income is more likely to purchase an energy-inefficient model. A program targeted at such households could be effective for increasing energy savings in the residential sector.

Exploring the Effectiveness of an Energy Efficiency Behaviour Change Project on Well-Being Outcomes for Indigenous Households in Australia

The Koorie Energy Efficiency Project (KEEP) was a Victoria-based, Australian social marketing initiative designed to provide support to Indigenous households so they could better manage their energy bills by reducing or controlling their energy use. The program was delivered by trained, Indigenous project employees who visited Indigenous households in metropolitan and regional parts of the state. During the home visit, they provided an energy efficiency audit, as well as specific energy efficiency tips and advocacy support. Minor draft-proofing products were also supplied to each household. As part of this project, dwelling and householder information was gathered during each home visit, as well as measures of energy efficiency knowledge, behaviours, and well-being of the main householder before and after a home visit. The results indicate that home visits to support the energy efficiency of indigenous households are effective in terms of encouraging new energy efficiency knowledge, behaviours, and broader elements of well-being. Furthermore, the home visit was found to be effective across all home types, but was significantly more effective in reducing energy related stress and discomfort in traditional houses and traditional apartments. These households were also often small and densely occupied. This suggests that when social marketing programs use methods that are culturally suitable and respectful, such as those used in KEEP, they become a powerful tool to help drive social change in Indigenous communities. The authors conclude that such programs in future will be hindered in their effectiveness unless property owners, such as those of social housing, do not urgently address the maintenance of their properties and ensure they provide fit living conditions for the tenants.

Are energy efficiency policies for household context dependent? A comparative study of Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay

In the last decades, the relevance of household energy-efficiency measures has increased, not only as mitigation policy, but also as key energy policies that may improve socioeconomic development. Despite their cost-effectivity, some of the most important household energy efficiency measures are often not implemented. There are different barriers that energy policy has to overcome to support their delivery. Nonetheless, specific situations may result in a bad performance of energy efficiency policies. It is crucial to understand which are the main characteristics, or enabling conditions, that affect the policy in order to consider them in the process of policy design.In this context, the aim of the paper is to contribute to the literature on energy efficiency in the household sector, by discussing the relevance of enabling conditions for the performance of the policies, and proposing a methodology framework to analyze these enabling frameworks. An approach to transform qualitative information into quantitative data also represents a contribution to the literature. The methodology consists of an adaptation of the broadly used multicriteria analysis (MCA). As an initial empirical study, a set of Latin American countries have been chosen, namely Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Uruguay, to study these conditions in 2016.Findings show that Uruguay and Chile have the best boundary conditions to promote energy efficiency, followed by Brazil and Colombia which has presented difficulties in different boundary conditions. Results also highlight that the implementation of household energy efficiency policies is highly dependent on country context. In order to develop an enabling framework, it is relevant to count with a strong commitment, awareness raising, as well as price policies, financing access and favorable macroeconomic conditions.

Approaching the Bioeconomy in Terms of Increasing the Energy Efficiency of Households in Romania

This paper approaches the transition process to the bioeconomy from consumers’ perspective and their attitudes to decision-making process regarding the use of renewable energy systems in households. The article contributes to the literature by introducing a new challenge: identifying and analyzing the Romanians’ opinion on increasing the energy efficiency in their households and their intention in using energy obtained from renewable resources. For the purpose, a quantitative marketing research was conducted by interviewing 1123 persons from Romania’s eight development regions. Data were collected using an electronic questionnaire. The research results underline that Romanians have invested in increasing the energy efficiency of their household, the main improvements being energy saving by purchasing low-power home appliances or thermal insulation of the dwelling. These investments were made based on economic considerations, being considered as a long-term benefit for the entire household. The authors propose to the Romanian economic environment to carry out information and promotional campaigns in order to raise awareness of Romanians on the importance of using energy obtained from renewable resources for sustainable development. To the academic environment, the authors recommend including bioeconomics in the curriculum of study programs offered to the education services market

Tax incentives to modernize the energy efficiency of the housing in Spain

This paper analyzes the tax incentives and aids adopted in the taxes and environmental policies to improve the energy efficiency of Spanish households. The established environmental policy presents advances although with incipient results, since the energy efficiency of the houses still plays a secondary role. In the area of taxes, no tax incentives have been effective in reducing the investment in improvements in the energy efficiency of homes, especially in those of old construction. Our conclusions indicate the convenience of promoting the energy efficiency of homes through the fiscal route. In this sense, it proposes incorporating an incentive to the Personal Income Tax linked to improved energy rating of housing. Also, it raises the improvements in the current regulations on tax benefits on the Real Estate Tax and on the Tax on Building, Installations and Infrastructural Work. These are two of the main features of this paper.

The role of risk preferences and loss aversion in farmers’ energy-efficient appliance use behavior

Improving rural household energy efficiency is an important policy issue for climate change mitigation in China. A better understanding of the factors affecting farmers' energy-efficient appliance use behavior can help policymakers design more effective policies. This paper explores the effect of farmers' risk preferences and loss aversion on their energy-efficient appliance use behavior in rural China. Using unique data from a survey and a paired lottery experiment completed by 235 rural household heads in the Dazu District of China, this study finds that the farmers' risk preferences and loss aversion have significant effects on their energy-efficient appliance use behavior. The more risk-averse farmers are less likely to buy or use energy-efficient appliances. The farmers who are more loss averse are more willing to purchase and more likely to use durable energy-efficient appliances. In addition, the farmers' demographic factors (age, gender, education, and family location), their perceptions of climate change adaptation and their trust attitudes have significant effects on their energy-efficient appliance use behavior. This paper contributes to the emerging literature that relates risk preferences and loss aversion in experiments to farmers’ energy-efficient appliance use behavior.

Design of smart home microgrid with high permeability distributed photovoltaic

The high permeability of household distributed photovoltaic is prevalent after its access. The connection between distributed generation and main network is cut off quickly and the energy storage device is used to realize energy storage. From the point of view of economy and rationality, the above-mentioned operation has become increasingly unable to meet the health of the grid after the access of distributed generation. In this paper, a construction scheme and operation strategy of household micro-grid including household energy efficiency management is designed by using equipment and equipment integration, equipment and system integration, system and system integration of household micro-grid and household energy efficiency management. It adds in-situ absorption capacity of distributed photovoltaic, realizes efficient integration of household energy efficiency management and household microgrid, effectively solves the problems of high permeability of household distributed generation, and has certain application value in the user side.

Diversification of energy poverty in Central and Eastern European countries

Household energy security, and in particular affordability of energy services and the energy poverty issue, is a debated topic both at the EU level and at the level of individual countries. The aim of the paper is to investigate the energy poverty diversity in the Central and Eastern European countries. The energy poverty index that aggregates three aspects: availability and affordability of energy services, as well as household energy efficiency, has been presented. This framework allows for comparison between countries and discloses the diversity of their energy poverty profiles. Analysis of energy poverty indicates diversification of level and dynamics of this phenomenon in the studied countries. Among countries of Central and Eastern Europe, there are both countries, where the problem of energy poverty is the highest, and the lowest in Europe. Almost all studied group is characterized by decreasing level of energy poverty in that particular period. Analysis of index components indicates diversification of energy poverty profiles. Important factor shaping the ability to acquire energy services was also the consequence of economic crisis, especially lowering the level of incomes and the increase of energy prices as a result of increasing tax burdens imposed on energy carriers.

Household appliances penetration and ownership trends in residential buildings

Understanding the development of the trends in the ownership of different appliances in a historic context in various countries of the world can not only provide important insights for understanding the dynamics of adoption of different appliances, but can also help with foresight: how the future may develop for these or other, new appliances on the market. Although available literature in household appliances energy consumption, energy management and energy efficiency has seen some advances, there is a clear lack in the literature on household appliance ownership. In this paper, historic data is gathered and analysed for several groups of appliance types (white appliances, brown appliances and small appliances) for 12 countries representing four continents, when available since 1970 to date. Countries representing different parts of the world were selected to present an overview on household appliances ownership and energy consumption. One of the first conclusions of the study is that there is little or no information in many countries from South America, Africa or South Asia. Refrigerators, freezers and washing machines ownership are an example of most other white goods. Brown goods appeared in the market at very different time, depending on each one (from the 70s to the late 90s) and their ownership growth is much higher than for the previous ones. Most of small line appliances ownership has not reached saturation yet.

Energy efficiency as an instrument of regional development policy? The impact of regional fiscal autonomy

ABSTRACT This paper analyses the system-wide impact of increased household energy efficiency in a regional context, using Scotland as an example. It shows that household energy efficiency improvements typically deliver a ‘double dividend’ of a regional economic stimulus and reduction in energy use. However, the trade-off between the two is sensitive to the degree of regional fiscal autonomy, and so is likely to vary across regions. The use of taxation to support the implementation of energy-efficiency improvement programmes negatively impacts competitiveness, unless workers are willing to accept lower after-tax wages to fund public spending on improving household energy efficiency.

Energy-efficient retrofit of social housing in the UK: Lessons learned from a Community Energy Saving Programme (CESP) in Nottingham

One of the long-term challenges outlined within the UK Government's Energy White Paper (2011) is to cut both greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy bills by improving household energy efficiency. As such, several energy-related initiatives have, in recent years, been promoted including the Community Energy Saving Programme. In this study, we explore how patterns of user consumption as influenced by occupant awareness and behaviour, can both positively and negatively influence policy initiative delivery. In so doing, we present the results from an extensive pre- and post-retrofit home energy use and performance survey of 150 properties located in Nottingham's Aspley ward, home of one of England's pilot CESP schemes. Our results show that whilst this specific initiative significantly improved home conditions and reduced energy consumption, it failed to achieve the predicted £300 annual savings on household energy bills. This was found to be largely attributed to occupants’ ingrained habits towards household energy use, higher comfort level preferences, (lack of) energy consumption awareness, and insufficient information provided to help residents better manage their home energy use following the retrofit. By exploring some of the core lessons learned from the survey, this research seeks to inform and improve the uptake and delivery of future retrofit initiatives.

Using marginal emission factors to improve estimates of emission benefits from appliance efficiency upgrades

This work uses marginal emission factors to analyze avoided emissions from household energy efficiency improvements in air conditioning and lighting. This approach considers CO2, SO2, and NOx emissions avoided from the marginal power plant that would have been dispatched to meet demand, and compares the results to the more commonly used average emission factor approach as well as time-averaged marginal emission factors. Results from the lighting analysis indicate that, depending on location, a household can save $50–$430/year on electricity bills and avoid between 600 and 1300 kg of CO2/year by switching from a mix of compact fluorescent and incandescent to LED bulbs. For air conditioning, efficiency upgrades save between zero and $600/year in electricity cost and avoid zero to 300 kg of CO2/year. When comparing the marginal approach to the traditional average emission method, the average approach can underestimate CO2, SO2, and NOx emissions by 50% or overestimate by 100%, illustrating the relevance of the marginal emission approach to the study of efficiency-induced emission reductions.

Energy efficiency deployment: A pathway to sustainable electrification in Ghana

Abstract Electricity is a key input for socio-economic development and its demand is expected to grow rapidly throughout the world, especially in developing countries. In Ghana, where supply challenges persist with increasing residential demand, promoting energy efficiency in households is a needful pathway. This study aims at estimating energy consumption, energy savings and peak demand reduction by introducing different standards and labelling regimes for some household appliances under different gross domestic product (GDP) scenarios for the period 2020–2050. The analysis concentrates on 5 intensive energy consuming appliances: refrigerator, freezer, air conditioner, washing machine and television; and 4 lighting technologies. A bottom-up and a top-down approach were adopted to estimate electricity consumption with the dynamic characteristics of data such as appliance ownership, population and GDP. The summary results indicate that with the implementation of the various energy efficiency scenarios, the energy consumption of the 5 appliances and 4 lighting technologies can be reduced by 24–51% in 2050 while the estimated potential cumulative energy savings range 31–104 TWh for the 30-year period. The peak demand reduction in 2050 ranges 721–2952 MW for all scenarios considered and represents 40–165% of Ghana's peak demand in 2013. Refrigerators were found to account for the highest share of the cumulative energy savings, 37–57%, while televisions contribute the highest, 28–42%, to peak demand reduction by 2050. The methods deployed in this study can easily be adapted for related studies in other countries with even little household load data, providing an important instrument for helping decision makers set adequate energy efficiency policies.

Analysis of Household Energy Efficiency in developing countries using the Long Energy Alternative Planning System (Case Study: Ghana)

Ghana continues to face periodic energy crisis particularly in the power sector. The dominant household energy fuels in Ghanaare mainly biomass, oil products and hydropower. Efficient and wise use of available resources would consequently reduce theeffects and scarcity of these energy resources and make energy more accessible to many households in future. The objective ofthis paper is to use the LEAP model to develop three scenaria to depict a business as usual, assumed lower (10%) and higher(30%) energy savings on household energy intensities by 2030. Key factors relevant in the analysis included current and futurehousehold size, economic growth and saturation of household energy appliances. The results of this research shows a 30%reduction in total household energy consumption thus, higher energy saving scenario which would save about 1,552 ktoe andreduce GHG emission by 1,077.2 ktCO2 equivalent as compared to the baseline scenario by 2030. This scenario would reducehealth risk associated with biomass use and save households income on fuel. Effective implementation of policies and lawsbanning inefficient household electrical devices such as refrigerators, air-conditioners and lighting bulbs is necessary. In addition,awareness on energy savings on improved cooking stoves and automatic lighting control systems in buildings is beneficial inachieving this target. Meanwhile programs and policies in Ghana should aim at barriers in renewable energy technologies toensure its significance in the household energy mix.

Reorienting Finance Towards Energy Efficiency: The Case of UK Housing

This paper examines the challenges associated with stimulating large-scale investment in energy efficiency and demand management measures, using residential energy efficiency improving retrofits in the UK as a case study. We consider how issues of energy policy, consumer choice and financial systems intersect, drawing on recent literature including energy policy documents and research reports, and on interviews with stakeholders from the finance sector, energy efficiency practitioners and more. We suggest that following the withdrawal of the Green Deal, there is a need to reconsider the framing of policy for household energy efficiency improvements, and examine three potential aspects of a new framing: energy efficiency as infrastructure; new business and financing models for energy efficiency provision; and decentralised financing institutions for energy efficiency investment. This would require a long-term commitment from government on energy efficiency, and a need to ensure that projects are attractive and investable from both householders and investors’ perspectives. We conclude that there are important roles for government in any large scale initiative for energy efficient retrofitting of UK homes, even if the mechanisms are market based. These includes signalling long-term policy consistency and reducing risks for financial investment, and intermediating between finance and energy efficiency projects.

Psychological factors influence on energy efficiency in households

Research background: Most of the studies and their authors focus on the social and eco-nomic impacts of energy-saving behavior. However, they do not focus on the psychological factors affecting the efficiency of energy consumption in households. Lithuania has a lack of a unified and justified opinion on psychological factors that affect the energy efficiency of households.
 Purpose of the article: The main objective of the article is to identify the psychological factors that influence energy efficiency in households and to identify the appropriate measures to change the individual?s energy consumption behavior.
 Methods: The article was based on analysis of scientific literature and expert evaluation, when experts selected the most influencing psychological factors. Expert valuation allowed to set the right conditions in which individuals are more easily assimilated by means of energy saving.
 Findings: In most cases, economic and technological factors significantly influence household energy consumption. Increased energy-efficient equipment production and supply is causing an energy consumption growth in households, because they are more inclined to buy and use more efficient electrical equipment. An investigation has showed that the energy consumption is strongly influenced by some cultural and psychological factors: with greater public openness to innovation, the households tend to use energy more efficiently. Also, some psychological indicators have significant impact on energy consumption has ? frequently the more pronounced neuroticism or extraversion rate. Since the research was performed only in Lithuania, in the future it will seek to carry out an investigation in several countries and to compare a various factors on the proposed measures and the efficiency of household energy consumption.

Household energy use, energy efficiency, emissions, and behaviors

Energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generally aim to (i) reduce energy use and hence emissions, (ii) steer consumers away from fossil fuels and/or electricity generated from fossil fuels, and (iii) align demand and supply, making sure that the existing infrastructure can handle times of high demand. Policies thus include a variety of pricing schemes, taxes on energy inputs, energy efficiency standards and incentives, and renewables standards and incentives. Ex ante and ex post analyses of their effectiveness thus rely crucially on understanding how consumers respond to pricing schemes, taxes, and other policies. This paper presents an overview of the challenges faced when empirically estimating household energy demand. It describes the difficulties associated with estimating the price elasticity of demand, discussing behavioral responses that may make consumers relatively insensitive to price changes or taxes. It also surveys empirical evidence about non-price policies, such as clearer information or real-time feedback about energy use, and appeal to norms. The paper concludes discussing evidence about the rebound effect, the energy efficiency gap, and how suppliers respond to a variety of policies.