Review of utility home energy audit programs

Hirst, Eric; Berry, Linda; Soderstrom, Jon

doi:10.1016/0360-5442(81)90017-7

Cited by 42 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…The typical result of using only information as a policy tool is that behaviour does not change (see e.g. Hirst et al 1981, Ester and Winett 1982, McDougall et al 1983 or the change is only modest (see e.g. Becker 1978, Craig and McCann 1978, Seligman et al 1981, Pardini and Katzev 1984, Cialdini et al1991.…”

Section: Energy Consumption and Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 98%

Energy consumption and savings: A survey-based study of Finnish households

Kopsakangas-Savolainen

Juutinen

2013

Journal of Environmental Economics and Policy

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Energy has moved to the forefront in societal and economic development. Our homes and real estate are more and more dependent on electricity. In order to reach the full potential for new consumer-oriented market mechanisms and in order to fulfil climate policy targets we need more information on consumers' behaviour and attitudes towards energy. This paper uses a survey to examine the attitudes and behaviour of households' energy-related issues. The analytical framework used is based on ordered choice and probability models. The objective is to identify households' characteristics that affect energy consumption and savings, attitudes towards climate change and conservation of natural resources, and the importance of municipal energy-related issues. According to the results, the importance of reduction in electricity consumption is positively correlated with attitudes towards mitigation of climate change and importance of renewable energy. Heating system of residence, income, and gender affect attitude and behaviour. Interestingly, the higher the income the less important is electricity reduction. Women have changed their behaviour in order to reduce electricity consumption more than men. Utilising this information it is possible for society to build efficient mechanisms, such as real-time pricing, through which we can affect consumers' energy-related behaviour and give incentives for energy savings and efficiency. One interesting result is also that over 80% of the respondents view municipalities' energy efficiency as very important.

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Section: Energy Consumption and Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 98%

Energy consumption and savings: A survey-based study of Finnish households

Kopsakangas-Savolainen

Juutinen

2013

Journal of Environmental Economics and Policy

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“…In some communities, homeowners were also offered zero-or low-interest loans and were provided a list of local contractors. The program led to the installation of basic energy efficiency measures by less than 3% of the eligible households, reducing participating household energy use by only 2-3% (Hirst et al 1981;. Low participation rates have not been uncommon over the years; one study found that many energy efficiency financing programs reached less than 0.1% of their eligible customers each year (Fuller 2008).…”

Section: Lessons From Past Programsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Driving Demand for Home Energy Improvements: Motivating residential customers to invest in comprehensive upgrades that eliminate energy waste, avoid high utility bills, and spur the economy

Fuller¹

2010

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“…In an early effort to encourage energy efficiency in the USA in 1978, the Residential Conservation Service (RCS) instructed utilities to provide their customers with free home energy audits. This led to energy efficiency changes by less than 3 % of the households and average energy use per household fell by only 2-3 % (Hirst et al 1981). The low participation rates and low energy reduction were explained by a US National Research Council report which stated that the RCS overlooked 'the rich mixture of cultural practices, social interactions, and human feelings that influence the behavior of individuals, social groups and institutions' (Stern et al 1984).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the impact of energy interventions: home audits vs. community events

et al. 2016

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New Zealand's housing stock tends to be of low thermal quality that can adversely affect the health and well-being of occupants as well as costing more than necessary to heat. Householders need information and motivation to make material changes and adopt new practices to achieve warmer and more energy-efficient homes. This study compares two different types of energy interventions with householders in three different suburbs in Dunedin, New Zealand. Two suburbs received a home energy audit whereby an auditor surveyed each house and provided personalised advice. Householders in the third suburb took part in community energy events that included general advice and practical workshops. The impacts of these interventions were evaluated through pre-and post-intervention surveys and post-intervention interviews. Home energy audits were successful in encouraging change both behavioural and practical, where it was possible. The energy events promoted community engagement and awareness relating to energy-saving actions. Participant feedback suggests that a combination of both types of intervention may be most effective in promoting household change, beginning with energy events in communities before offering home energy audits. This would enable people to share their thoughts and concerns about energy with the support of their social networks and engender trust in the process, before offering personalised audits. Overall, the results show that interventions need to be correctly targeted to appropriate communities to be effective.

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Review of utility home energy audit programs

Cited by 42 publications

References 2 publications

Energy consumption and savings: A survey-based study of Finnish households

Energy consumption and savings: A survey-based study of Finnish households

Driving Demand for Home Energy Improvements: Motivating residential customers to invest in comprehensive upgrades that eliminate energy waste, avoid high utility bills, and spur the economy

Evaluating the impact of energy interventions: home audits vs. community events

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