Behavioural Changes After Energy Efficiency Improvements in Residential Properties

Suffolk, Christine; Poortinga, Wouter

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-38807-6_8

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…While Poortinga et al did not confirm behavioral spillover effects following the introduction of the Welsh single‐use plastic bag charge, they did find an increase in proenvironmental identity, which they propose might precede behavioral spillover (see also Ref ). Alternatively, lack of spillover may have been due to the extrinsic nature of the charge.…”

Section: Behavioral Spillover: Explanatory Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Instead, social practice‐informed interventions would focus on changing the elements of or relationships between practices. In particular, practice theory introduces a new focus on the ‘material’ elements of practice, such as building houses with ‘drying rooms’ rather than space and plumbing for a tumble dryer, which have been less explored in the spillover literature (although see Ref ), and which have rather tended to focus on informational interventions; yet such structural measures are theorized to produce more favorable outcomes for spillover too as Truelove et al contend that moral licensing is less likely when changing more ambitious or structural‐type behaviors than focusing on ‘small and painless’ actions).…”

Section: A Social Practice Perspective On Behavioral Spillovermentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climate‐relevant behavioral spillover and the potential contribution of social practice theory

Nash

Whitmarsh

Capstick

et al. 2017

WIREs Climate Change

Self Cite

145

154

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Urgent and radical transition to lower-carbon forms of society is imperative to limit current and future climate change impacts. Behavioral spillover theory offers a way to catalyze broad lifestyle change from one behavior to another in ways that generate greater impacts than piecemeal interventions. Despite growing policy and research attention, the evidence for behavioral spillover and the processes driving the phenomenon are unclear. The literature is split between studies that provide evidence for positive spillover effects (where an intervention targeting an environmentally conscious behavior leads to an increase in another functionally related behavior) and negative spillover effects (where an intervention targeting an environmentally conscious behavior leads to a decrease in another functionally related behavior). In summarizing findings, particular attention is given to the implications for climate-relevant behaviors. While few examples of climate-relevant behavioral spillover exist, studies do report positive and negative spillovers to other actions, as well as spillovers from behavior to support for climate change policy. There is also some evidence that easier behaviors can lead to more committed actions. The potential contribution of social practice theory to understanding spillover is discussed, identifying three novel pathways to behavioral spillover: via carriers of practices, materiality, and through relationships between practices within wider systems of practice. In considering future research directions, the relatively neglected role of social norms is discussed as a means to generate the momentum required for substantial lifestyle change and as a way of circumventing obstructive and intransigent climate change beliefs

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Section: Behavioral Spillover: Explanatory Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: A Social Practice Perspective On Behavioral Spillovermentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate‐relevant behavioral spillover and the potential contribution of social practice theory

Nash

Whitmarsh

Capstick

et al. 2017

WIREs Climate Change

Self Cite

145

154

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Several other studies were conducted with a psychological and behavioral science perspective (e.g., Girod & de Haan, 2009;Peters et al, 2012;Peters & Dütschke, 2016;Suffolk & Poortinga, 2016;Santarius, 2012;Santarius & Soland, 2018), while other approaches were built on sociological theories (e.g., Galvin, 2015b;Galvin & Gubernat, 2016;Santarius, 2016a;Sonnberger & Gross, 2018). In addition, several chapters in the volume by Santarius et al (2016) addressed the issue from transdisciplinary and real-life-oriented perspectives (e.g., Aall et al, 2016, Naess, 2016Walnum & Aall, 2016).…”

Section: Other Relevant Disciplinesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rebound effect and sustainability science: A review

Vivanco

Galvin

Santarius

et al. 2022

J of Industrial Ecology

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Rebound effects have been historically studied through narrow framings which may overlook the complexity of sustainability challenges, sometimes leading to badly informed conclusions and policy recommendations. Here we present a critical literature review of rebound effects in the context of sustainability science in order to (1) map existing rebound research which goes beyond mainstream approaches, (2) unveil and classify current knowledge gaps in relation to sustainability science, (3) outline a research agenda, and (4) provide a knowledge base to support the design of effective policies toward sustainable development. We analyzed the literature in accordance with seven criteria for sustainable assessment: boundary orientedness, comprehensiveness, integratedness, stakeholder involvement, scalability, strategicness, and transparency. Our review identified three main issues: (1) the failure to address the multidimensionality of rebound effects, whereby both negative and positive outcomes may arise simultaneously, (2) the shift toward absolute rebound metrics which enables the contextualization of its effect with respect to science and policy goals, and (3) a general lack of attention to behavioral effects. We conclude that addressing these issues will help rebound research gain explanatory power and relevance for key decision‐makers. We envision that with better alignment with sustainability science, future rebound research could help elucidate trade‐offs in policies, including why certain strategies such as those based on the circular economy might fall short of expectations, and why achieving key goals and targets such as the sustainable development goals is so challenging. This knowledge is crucial for promoting a prioritization of actions and a concrete transition toward sustainability.

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“…As for empirical research, Peters et al (2012b) researched the issue with qualitative methods, i.e., focus groups in Germany. Suffolk and Poortinga (2016) investigated behavioral changes after the introduction of energy-efficiency improvements in housing. They presented the first attempt to investigate psychological rebounds with quantitative empirical methods; yet their study does not deliver robust results.…”

Section: Psychologymentioning

confidence: 99%

From Unidisciplinary to Multidisciplinary Rebound Research: Lessons Learned for Comprehensive Climate and Energy Policies

2018

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This article presents how the rebound phenomenon has evolved from only being considered from a neoclassical economic perspective to include several other disciplines such as psychology, sociology, and industrial ecology. The intention is to show how different theoretical perspectives contribute to the scientific discourse about rebound effects. We summarize key findings from the various disciplinary strains of research and highlight new research questions and needs that arise. We discuss strengths and limitations of the expansion toward multidisciplinary rebound research and suggest that a further expansion toward transdisciplinary research could be valuable. We identify the "micro-macro discrepancy" and the "cause-effect relativity" as two general challenges that have to be taken into account when rebound research becomes increasingly multi-and transdisciplinary. In the final section of the article, we present lessons learned from multidisciplinary rebound research for policies and measures that aim to mitigate rebound effects. The main finding of this article is that if policymakers aim to make climate and energy policies as "rebound-proof" as possible, findings from both energy economics and multidisciplinary rebound research have to be taken into account.

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Behavioural Changes After Energy Efficiency Improvements in Residential Properties

Cited by 7 publications

References 16 publications

Climate‐relevant behavioral spillover and the potential contribution of social practice theory

Climate‐relevant behavioral spillover and the potential contribution of social practice theory

Rebound effect and sustainability science: A review

From Unidisciplinary to Multidisciplinary Rebound Research: Lessons Learned for Comprehensive Climate and Energy Policies

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