Consumer inertia to energy saving
Ole Michael JensenDanish Building Research Institute
eceee Summer Study 2005 -Mandelieu, France [email protected]
Energy labelling
Energy consultancy
A gab !
Owner occupants
House owners
Energy saving potentials
Energy saving conscious-ness
Heat consumptionDetached houses (2003 energy labelling schemes)
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000
kW
h
Danish Building Code 1995
-
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
1900-1909
1910-1919
1920-1929
1930-1939
1940-1949
1950-1959
1960-1969
1970-1979
1980-1989
1990-1999
2000-
kWh
pr.
m2
Small houses Medium-sized houses Large houses
Heat consumption The average heat consumption in Danish semidetached houses
- distributed over the decades of building (hot water included)
Danish Building Code 1995
Heat consumption Detached houses built in the 1920s, 1960s and 1990s
1920-1929
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
0 70 140 210 280 350 420 490 560
1960-1969
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
0 70 140 210 280 350 420 490 560
KWh per m2
1990-1999
0%
2%
4%
6%
8%
10%
0 75 150 225 300 375 450 525 600
KWh per m2KWh per m2
Heat consumption Actual heat consumption in Danish blocks of flats
- distributed over the decades of building
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
<1900 1900-1910
1910-1920
1920-1930
1930-1940
1940-1950
1950-1960
1960-1970
1970-1980
1980-1990
1990-2000
>1997
kW
h p
r. m
2
Space heating Hot water
Danish Building Code 1995
The barrier model
Research and development
Demonstration Dissemination Human barriers
Energy saving contribution
Disinclination‘Poor excuses’
• ”We know, we know very well, but first of all we must finish the kitchen. The old one was beneath standard - and indeed, also the bathroom is ..
• ”We don’t let in workmen - they are too expensive and their work too slovenly made. Half of the workmanship must be redone afterwards”
• ”It’s OK, but there is only one problem: It will be charmless, ungraceful or even ugly”
• ”Well, as soon at we have time. You know, we have to do it ourselves. Maybe in a year or two”.
• ”We have already done a lot. For instance, we changed the windows - with nice bars”
• ”It will come one day, when we are going to convert the first floor anyway”
Lifestyle 1
Lifestyle 2
Lifestyle 3
Lifestyle 4
Aesthetics
Fear of workmen
Need of time
Need of money
DisinclinationIn
com
e /
leve
l of
edu
catio
n
Lifestyle 1
Inco
me
/ le
vel o
f e
duca
tion
Lifestyle 2
Lifestyle 3
Lifestyle 4
Aesthetics
Fear of workmen
Need of time
Need of money
‘What really happens’
A new kitchen
A new bathroom
New windows
A new roofing
Insulation at the loft
Insulation of the cavity wall
A new kitchen
A new bathroom
New windows
A new roofing
Insulation at the loft
Insulation of the cavity wall
Main findings
• Money is important, but what money can make visible is more important
• If energy saving measures can serve two purposes, they have a bigger change
• A well-documented payback, may carry through almost any energy saving measure
• Aesthetic or symbolic benefit within reach, gives the question of money low priority
• Wealthy house owners lean toward aesthetic and symbolic values
• Poor house owners lean toward money
The inertia model
Obtaining of symbolic capital
FINISHImplementation
of means
STARTEnergy saving
means
Inertia
Loss of symbolic capital