Revisiting household energy rebound: Perspectives from a multidisciplinary study

Halvorsen, Bente; Larsen, Bodil Merethe; Wilhite, Harold; Winther, Tanja

doi:10.1177/1420326x16629725

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…For example, when asked to calculate monthly car costs, only 29% of respondents included depreciation of the initial investment 34 . This is further confirmed by empirical evidence for travel 35 and heating expenses 11,19 . In addition, the effect is likely to be exaggerated by the sunk cost effect, which is considered an expression of mental accounting 36 : having invested money on adopting an energy-efficient product, people feel compelled to use it more.…”

Section: Mental Accountingsupporting

confidence: 61%

“…This effect is more pronounced for energy-efficient products. One study found adopters of heat pumps to be unaware they were using them more intensively than the conventional heating, resulting in higher indoor temperature 19 . According to another study consumers incorrectly infer that high energy efficiency translates to low overall energy use, which may consequently lead them to use energy-efficient products more intensively 20 .…”

Section: Inattention and Misconceptionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The available evidence seems to suggest that the more habitual individuals are, the more intense their post-adoption use is. Individuals exhibiting habitual behaviour were found to overheat their apartments after insulating it 11 or after purchasing a heat pump 19 , and to drive slightly more after buying an electric car. 11 Regarding insulation, habitual behaviour is expected to have an influence only in the absence of thermostats.…”

Section: Defaults and Habitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Energy-related behaviour and rebound when rationality, self-interest and willpower are limited

Exadaktylos

Bergh

2021

Nat Energy

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The extent to which adopting energy-efficient technologies results in energy savings depends on how such technologies are used and how monetary savings from energy efficiency are spent. Energy rebound occurs when potential energy savings are diminished due to post-adoption behaviour. Here we review empirical studies on how six behavioural regularities affect three energy-relevant decisions and ultimately rebound: adoption of energy-saving products or practices, their intensity of use, and spending of associated monetary savings. The findings suggest that behaviours which reflect limited rationality and willpower may increase rebound, while effects of behaviours driven by bounded self-interest are less clear. We then describe how interventions associated with each of the behavioural regularities can influence rebound and thus serve to achieve higher energy savings. Future research ought to study energy-relevant decisions in a more integrated manner, with a particular focus on re-spending as this presents the greatest challenge for research and policy. (Main text)Energy rebound denotes that potential energy savings of adopting an energy-efficient technology or practice, possibly triggered by some policy, are offset by subsequent behavioural and systemic responses that increase energy use, resulting in diminished net energy savings 1,2 . There are three main types of rebound: direct rebound or intensity-of-use effect -a technology becomes more energy-efficient and thus less costly in its use, causing consumers or producers to use it more intensively; indirect rebound or respending effect -spending less due to using a more energy-efficient technology releases money that is subsequently spent on other products or services that use energy over their life cycle; and economy-wide rebound -more energy efficiency leads to many other changes in the economy, such as investments in expansion of production, impacts on capital and labour markets, and indirectly increases in consumption, all with consequences for energy use. Figure 1 illustrates these rebound types, and their joint impact on energy savings, for the case of switching to a more fuel-efficient car.While there is little doubt that rebound is an important issue that warrants serious attention in policy design, the exact magnitude of rebound effects is surrounded by uncertainty. This is partly the result of the difficulty of assessing rebound empirically, because of a lack of appropriate data and a clear counterfactual, and as rebound lacks unambiguous system and temporal boundaries 3-5 . Estimates for direct rebound range from 0 to 87%, differing between application areas, such as space heating (2-60%), cooling (0-50%) and transportation (5-87%) 5 . Evidence from 33 macrolevel studies shows that economy-wide rebound effects tend to exceed 50%, and may include backfire (>100%) 6 . Among economists, a conventional way to think about rebound is that it results from optimal adjustment to observable and perfectly known changes in marginal costs due to improvements in the ...

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Section: Mental Accountingsupporting

confidence: 61%

Section: Inattention and Misconceptionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Defaults and Habitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Energy-related behaviour and rebound when rationality, self-interest and willpower are limited

Exadaktylos

Bergh

2021

Nat Energy

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“…31 In recent studies of residents’ behaviour, using mixed-methods research has been shown to provide a fuller picture of the subject of the study. 42,43 The combination of survey results and interviews provided new insights regarding the goals to guide people’s lighting choices and behaviour. The qualitative results contributed the additional information needed to understand key factors that influence residents’ illumination choices.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Residents’ lamp purchasing behaviour, indoor lighting characteristics and choices in Swedish homes

Gerhardsson

Laike

Johansson

2018

Indoor and Built Environment

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“…Efforts include policy initiatives such as the Climate Change Committee 'White Paper' [2], as well as research commissioned by the Department of Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy [3-6] to better understand how and why particular heating technologies such as heating controls contribute (or do not contribute) to energy efficiency and carbon emissions. However, advanced energy-efficient heating technologies, designed to enable lower energy use in homes, are reportedly contributing to unintended increased energy use and uncomfortable indoor environments [7]. Policy measures regarding space heating have also historically-both in the UK and the European Union (EU)-largely been based on energy-efficient heating technology improvements, more efficient energy generation, and generation from renewable and nuclear sources.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role of ‘Community Spaces’ in Residents’ Adaptation to Energy-Efficient Heating Technologies—Insights from a UK Low-Energy Housing Development

Oliveira

Marco

2018

Sustainability

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Advanced energy-efficient heating technologies are often integral to low-energy home design, practice, and policy. The expectation is that technologies designed to lower space-heating energy use may also contribute to better performing buildings and a comfortable indoor environment. Too often, though, it is found that residents do not use technologies as intended due to multiple socio-technological phenomena. Whilst increasing efforts have been made to better understand residents' social engagement with energy-efficient heating technologies, there is a lack of evidence that takes into account the wider context of a housing development. This paper draws on residents' experiences across 40 dwellings in a recently completed low-energy residential development in the United Kingdom (UK). Implications of the research are twofold. First, the study contributes to a better understanding of the emerging roles, motivations, and expectations that a 'community' has for residents living in domestic low-energy environments. Second, there are implications for design professions to take account of the potential effects that specific external collective spaces such as playgrounds, allotments, and gardens can have on the ways that residents adapt to new technologies within their home. There are also implications for international energy policies on low-energy housing, specifically in relation to energy efficiency technology adaptation and learning.

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Revisiting household energy rebound: Perspectives from a multidisciplinary study

Cited by 9 publications

References 19 publications

Energy-related behaviour and rebound when rationality, self-interest and willpower are limited

Energy-related behaviour and rebound when rationality, self-interest and willpower are limited

Residents’ lamp purchasing behaviour, indoor lighting characteristics and choices in Swedish homes

Role of ‘Community Spaces’ in Residents’ Adaptation to Energy-Efficient Heating Technologies—Insights from a UK Low-Energy Housing Development

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