Energy Saving in Households: A Systematic Literature Review

Households emit 72% of all greenhouse gases due to the energy consumption. They are therefore major players in achieving the 1.5 ° C target under the Paris Agreement. This paper is about reducing household energy demand to mitigate climate change. Short-term voluntary efforts alone will not be enough to achieve the drastic reduction of 1.5 ° C. Although the renovation of residential buildings is a key energy-saving potential that has not been yet fully achieved, scientists nevertheless agree that greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction targets will only be achieved through the modernization of buildings. In order to achieve energy efficiency goals, it is necessary to understand and guide citizens' behavior with regard to the energy consumption and savings of private homes. This requires households to have a regulatory framework that supports changes in their behavior. This systematic review suggests that financial incentives and education could help change consumer behavior to change energy consumption patterns in households and thus mitigate climate change. However, while the implementation of such a policy would contribute to the reduction of the energy demand and thus GHG emissions, it faces many barriers of the household behavior. Further in this paper measures to promote energy savings in households, behavioral barriers to their implementation, and policy measures to overcome these barriers are discussed.