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Upgrading Efficiency and Behavior: Electricity Savings from Residential Weatherization Programs

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  • Joshua Graff Zivin
  • Kevin Novan

Abstract

Residential weatherization programs have become a major component of U.S. energy policy. Through these programs, households receive heavily subsidized energy efficiency upgrades as well as informational and behavioral treatments designed to encourage conservation. While previous work demonstrates that weatherization programs provide sizable energy savings, all have measured the composite effect of efficiency upgrades and behavioral treatments. In this paper, we present the first estimates which disentangle the energy savings provided by each of the individual interventions. Our results reveal that the actual energy savings achieved by the efficiency upgrades are substantially smaller than ex-ante, engineering predictions. Moreover, we present evidence that the energy savings provided by the simple behavioral interventions can exceed the savings resulting from the much more costly efficiency upgrades.

Suggested Citation

  • Joshua Graff Zivin & Kevin Novan, 2016. "Upgrading Efficiency and Behavior: Electricity Savings from Residential Weatherization Programs," The Energy Journal, , vol. 37(4), pages 1-24, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:enejou:v:37:y:2016:i:4:p:1-24
    DOI: 10.5547/01956574.37.4.jziv
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Meredith Fowlie & Michael Greenstone & Catherine Wolfram, 2018. "Do Energy Efficiency Investments Deliver? Evidence from the Weatherization Assistance Program," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 133(3), pages 1597-1644.
    3. Hunt Allcott & Michael Greenstone, 2012. "Is There an Energy Efficiency Gap?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 26(1), pages 3-28, Winter.
    4. Grant D. Jacobsen & Matthew J. Kotchen, 2013. "Are Building Codes Effective at Saving Energy? Evidence from Residential Billing Data in Florida," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 95(1), pages 34-49, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Kažukauskas, Andrius & Li, Xiaoying, 2024. "Realized dynamic effect of retrofits on energy consumption in Soviet-era multi-apartment buildings," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).

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