The Use Of Behavioural Insights In Promoting Residential Energy Efficiency PDF Download

Energy use in the U.S. residential sector accounts for a substantial portion of the United States' greenhouse gas emissions when considering residential buildings, personal transportation, and food. One opportunity to significantly lower this footprint is to focus on individual-level behavioral changes. To date, however, few climate- and energy-related behavioral interventions have been designed, implemented, rigorously evaluated, and reported in peer-reviewed literature. This dissertation begins to address that gap using an interdisciplinary, mixed-methods approach that targets different population segments with studies that aim to better understand and reduce energy use in homes. Three studies constitute this dissertation: (1) identification of options for sizable residential energy savings; (2) design, implementation and evaluation of a theory-based behavioral intervention to motivate reductions in residential energy use, and (3) investigation of the concept of "global identity, " which is hypothesized to be associated with change in energy use behaviors. The first study identifies viable energy-saving alternative behaviors from experts and historical and contemporary cultures to inform the increasing number of behavioral interventions being planned and developed. This project uses exploratory ethnographic and design methods to develop foundational insights on these issues from a user-centered perspective, specifically among adults. The project identifies over one hundred options, as well as distinct principles to guide energy reductions. The second study undertakes the design, implementation, and efficacy of a social cognitive theory-based, school-based intervention for adolescents in a public high school setting. Results of the randomized controlled trial indicate significant improvements in energy- and greenhouse gas emissions-related behaviors in students who received the intervention compared to controls. The third study examines the measurement characteristics of a global identity measure previously used in other domains and its relationship to energy- and greenhouse gas emissions-related behaviors in a subsample from the intervention study, finding global identity to be directly associated with those behaviors. Collectively, this work uncovers insights about home energy use and other greenhouse gas emissions-related behaviors and potential ways to change them, and will inform the design of future behavioral interventions.