Figure 4-1 - uploaded by Brian Southwell
Content may be subject to copyright.
Source publication
This collection highlights innovations to encourage reduction in homeowner energy use. The ideas described grew out of a summit at Duke University that brought together people from research institutions, county sustainability offices, government agencies, consultant organizations, architecture firms, building contractors, and real estate agencies—s...
Similar publications
Getting agricultural producers to make changes to their operations is difficult, especially related to complex systems such as the water cycle on managed agricultural lands. We surveyed participants who had watched a rainfall simulator demonstration during the summer of 2015. Results indicate that the demonstration was effective in providing educat...
Citations
... Much past research has focused on informing and educating individuals about the benefits of energy efficiency, but there is evidence that education alone does not lead to reliable behavior change (Southwell and Murphy 2014). Recently, the focus has shifted onto what other factors may motivate individuals to implement energy efficiency measures in the home, including the role of social networks, demographic characteristics, incentives, and policy, among other personal and social factors (Southwell et al. 2016;Southwell and Murphy 2014). Southwell and Murphy (2014) found that social interaction about energy efficiency predicted partaking in home energy efficiency behaviors for the purpose of weatherization, over and above simple knowledge about energy efficiency. ...
Energy efficiency contributes significantly to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the associated mitigation of climate change. The uptake of energy efficiency measures in the residential sector requires significant effort on the part of homeowners or residents. Past research has revealed that cost savings and social interaction motivate energy efficiency behavior. This study expands on this research by examining the hypothesis that there are regional differences in what motivates individuals to implement home energy efficiency upgrades. Two surveys (N = 320 and N = 423) examine the perceived benefits of and barriers to undertaking home energy efficiency improvements in varying geographic regions across the USA and test marketing materials that target these benefits and barriers. The hypothesis that there are regional differences in perceptions of energy efficiency was confirmed. Cost savings were found to be the most important benefit to individuals across the country. Energy efficiency being a good investment is either the second or third most important benefit across all regions. Increased comfort is the last of the top three most important benefits to those in the South and Midwest, while those in the Northeast demonstrated interest in the increase in home retail value associated with energy efficiency, and those in the West found the environmental benefits to be important. High costs of energy efficiency improvements were found to be the most commonly perceived barrier. Reported likelihood to enroll in a home energy efficiency program offered by one’s employer was predicted by perceived likelihood that coworkers would enroll, income level, and personal opinions about the importance of energy efficiency. © 2018 Springer Science+Business Media B.V., part of Springer Nature
In “Fact or Fiction in Global Energy Policy”, Sovacool, Brown, and Valentine use a compendium of 15 questions, pulled from the popular discourse, to introduce readers to the complex sociotechnological system that has emerged around the production and consumption of energy to meet the needs of Earth’s 7 billion people. Using a Hegelian dialectic format, the authors construct the competing sides of issues central to the global energy debate using multiple examples and a dizzying array of facts. Each chapter concludes by offering a statement of common ground from which to build further understanding, agreement, and progress. The sum effect is a volume that coalesces to offer a broad view of the global energy policy landscape and the choices and challenges society faces in shaping future energy policy.
