Energy conservation: changes in heating practices by Alabama residents

Abstract

Over one‐half of all the energy consumed within the home is used for heating. Any effective campaign to conserve energy must convince consumers of the necessity of changing patterns of behaviour related to heating and improving the energy efficiency of their homes. A telephone survey using a random sample of 445 Alabama households was conducted to determine changes made by consumers in heating practices since the 1973 oil embargo. Descriptive statistics, chi‐square, and t‐tests were used to analyse the data. It was found that the most common change in heating practices made by Alabama residents was to reduce thermostat settings. Other changes included the use of supplementary heat or improvements in building shell efficiency. Supplementary heat was used more frequently by higher income households, by Caucasians, and by households containing young family members. The improvement of building shell efficiency was found to be associated with higher income and Caucasian households.