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The Role of Environmental Concern and Comfort Expectations in Energy Retrofit Decisions

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  • Galassi, Veronica
  • Madlener, Reinhard

Abstract

This study investigates the roles of environmental concern and comfort expectations in the decision to retrofit a dwelling and the implications of these two aspects for the rebound effect. We ex-ante elicit individual preferences for deep thermal energy-saving measures in residential buildings by means of a Discrete Choice Experiment (DCE) among 3161 owner-occupiers and tenants in Germany. Besides room temperature, we include air quality, level of control over the system, noise reduction, and aesthetics of the dwelling as proxies for indoor comfort. Our model also accounts for monthly payments related to the implementation of the measure – and customized based on tenancy status, building type, and size of the dwelling – as well as technical energy cost savings. Econometric estimation provides significant results for most of the parameter coefficients. Findings show that thermal comfort preferences are heterogeneous: 33% of the respondents attach positive values to an increase in indoor temperature that would result from the deep retrofit, providing evidence in favor of a technical rebound effect. While environmental concern explains heterogeneity in most of the attributes, its interaction with thermal comfort is not significant. Thermal comfort turns out to be, however, the least important attribute in the analysis while air quality is the most important one.

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  • Galassi, Veronica & Madlener, Reinhard, 2017. "The Role of Environmental Concern and Comfort Expectations in Energy Retrofit Decisions," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 53-65.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:141:y:2017:i:c:p:53-65
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2017.05.021
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    Cited by:

    1. Ajayi, V. & Reiner, D., 2020. "Consumer Willingness to Pay for Reducing the Environmental Footprint of Green Plastics," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 20110, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    2. Belaïd, Fateh & Ranjbar, Zeinab & Massié, Camille, 2021. "Exploring the cost-effectiveness of energy efficiency implementation measures in the residential sector," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    3. Fanghella, Valeria & Guetlein, Marie-Charlotte & Schleich, Joachim & Sebi, Carine, 2023. "Preferences on financing mechanisms for thermal retrofit measures in multi-owner buildings: A discrete choice experiment with landlords and owner-occupiers in France," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    4. Hediger, Cécile & Farsi, Mehdi & Weber, Sylvain, 2018. "Turn It Up and Open the Window: On the Rebound Effects in Residential Heating," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 21-39.
    5. Wilson, C. & Pettifor, H. & Chryssochoidis, G., 2018. "Quantitative modelling of why and how homeowners decide to renovate energy efficiently," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 1333-1344.
    6. Heesen, Florian & Madlener, Reinhard, 2021. "Revisiting heat energy consumption modeling: Household production theory applied to field experimental data," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    7. Gerhardt, Michaela V. & Kanberger, Elke D. & Ziegler, Andreas, 2023. "The Relevance of Life-Cycle CO2 Emissions for Vehicle Purchase Decisions: A Stated Choice Experiment for Germany," VfS Annual Conference 2023 (Regensburg): Growth and the "sociale Frage" 277675, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    8. Michaela V. Gerhardt & Elke D. Kanberger & Andreas Ziegler, 2023. "The Relevance of Life-Cycle CO2 Emissions for Vehicle Purchase Decisions: A Stated Choice Experiment for Germany," MAGKS Papers on Economics 202305, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    9. Belaïd, Fateh & Massié, Camille, 2023. "Driving forward a low-carbon built environment: The impact of energy context and environmental concerns on building renovation," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Rebound; Mixed logit; Residential buildings; Energy efficiency;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C25 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Discrete Regression and Qualitative Choice Models; Discrete Regressors; Proportions; Probabilities
    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • Q40 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - General
    • R20 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - General

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