Energy conservation through behavioural changes
Dr. Wokje Abrahamse
New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities
University of Otago, Wellington
Why households? Households are important target group
• Households in the Netherlands account for about 20% of greenhouse gas emissions (through the combustion of fossil fuels)
• Dutch Environmental Policy Plan (2010): – reduction of CO2 emissions of 30% by 2020
– 2% energy savings annually
Behaviour change… Reviews of interventions: (e.g. Abrahamse et al., 2005; Dwyer et al., 1993; Schultz et al., 1995)
• Tailored information more effective than general information
– An approach that makes use of data from an individual to determine the most appropriate intervention that meets the needs of this individual (Kreuter et al., 1999)
• A combination of interventions is more effective than single interventions
– People have different barriers to change
Field study
Purpose
Test whether a combination tailored information, goal
setting and tailored feedback via the Internet would
encourage households to change:
• energy use
• energy‐related behaviours
• knowledge about energy conservation Abrahamse, Steg, Vlek, & Rothengatter (2007)
The interdisciplinary team
Environmental psychologists
‐ interventions & survey
Environmental scientists
‐ energy‐saving options & tool for estimating savings
Computer engineers and web designers
‐ website design & implement tool The interventions
• Tailored information about energy‐saving options ‐ Relative impact of energy saving options
‐ Increase knowledge about conservation
• Goal setting – 5% energy savings • Tailored feedback about energy savings
– Relative impact of energy savings
Set up
Participants:
300 households in Groningen
Three measurements: 1 measurement before the intervention
2 effect measurements (after 2 and 5 months)
Online survey: Based on possession and use of appliances and energy‐related behaviours, households received – tailored information about energy saving options – tailored feedback about energy savings (linked to 5% goal)
Design
Experimental group
Control group
Measurement 1
Energy use
Tailored information
Goal (5%)
Energy use
Measurement 2
Changes in energy use
Tailored information
Goal (5%)
Tailored feedback
Measurement 3
Changes in energy use
Tailored information
Tailored feedback
Changes in
energy use
Total energy savings
% energy savings
6
5.1
5
4
3
control 2
experimental
1
0
‐1
‐0.7
Direct energy savings
% energy savings
10
8.1
8
6
4
2
0
control 2.8
experimental
Indirect energy savings
% energy savings
6
3.9
4
2
control experimental
0
‐2
‐4
‐3
Behaviour change
10
9.5
minutes
9
control 8.5
experimental
8
7.5
before
after
Showering time before and after the intervention
Number of trips
Behaviour change
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
control experimental
before
after
Car use for trips shorter than 5 km (number of trips per week)
Knowledge
Relative impact of energy saving measures
• What is more energy efficient: cooking on a gas stove or on an electric one? • What uses more energy: A family of four driving 16,000 km a year of flying to the west coast of the U.S. from the Netherlands? • Households in the experimental group had higher levels of knowledge than households in the control group: F(1,186) = 6.38, p < .05.
Helpful participants
Relationship between showering time in seconds and gas consumption in m3
showering time (seconds)
Conclusions
• A combination of tailored information, goal setting and tailored feedback seems to be effective in:
– reducing direct & indirect energy consumption
– encouraging behaviour change (i.e. adoption of energy‐
saving options) – increasing knowledge about energy conservation
• Internet promising medium for tailored interventions
• Importance of interdisciplinary research
– behavioural change in relation to environmental impact
Thank you for your attention
For more information please contact:
wokje.abrahamse@otago.ac.nz
http://sustainablecities.org.nz