IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/enejou/v45y2024i1p125-148.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Decarbonizing the Residential Sector: How Prominent is Household Energy-Saving Behavior in Decision Making?

Author

Listed:
  • Fateh Belaïd

Abstract

In addition to scrutinizing the decision process behind energy efficiency investment, this study investigates its association with energy-saving behavior. Its conceptual underpinnings are based on the intersection of behavioral change and “energy efficiency paradox†theories. Based upon a rich, disaggregated dataset representative of the French housing sector, it develops an energy-saving score based on the item response theory model, which considers household attributes and ability levels. Then this score is used as an independent factor of a multivariate probit model to examine the drivers of household investment decisions for various energy performance solutions. The results highlight that: (i) contextual and attitudinal attributes are two major drivers of energy efficiency investments, and (ii) depending on the energy solution considered, there is a significant inverse relationship between energy-savings behavior and energy efficiency investments. This reveals that environmental awareness is not necessarily a driving factor behind energy efficiency investments and emphasizes the so-called “rebound effect†issue. The results support the view that promoting energy-saving behaviors and energy efficiency investments necessitate differentiated public policies that consider both individual preferences and housing stock heterogeneity. The analysis offers valuable policy guidance and research agenda outlining future energy efficiency research priorities.

Suggested Citation

  • Fateh Belaïd, 2024. "Decarbonizing the Residential Sector: How Prominent is Household Energy-Saving Behavior in Decision Making?," The Energy Journal, , vol. 45(1), pages 125-148, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:enejou:v:45:y:2024:i:1:p:125-148
    DOI: 10.5547/01956574.45.1.fbel
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.5547/01956574.45.1.fbel
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.5547/01956574.45.1.fbel?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Fiorillo, Damiano & Sapio, Alessandro, 2019. "Energy saving in Italy in the late 1990s: Which role for non-monetary motivations?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 165(C), pages 1-1.
    2. Fumiko Samejima, 1997. "Departure from normal assumptions: A promise for future psychometrics with substantive mathematical modeling," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 62(4), pages 471-493, December.
    3. Benjamin Volland, 2016. "Efficiency in Domestic Space Heating: An Estimation of the Direct Rebound Effect for Domestic Heating in the U.S," IRENE Working Papers 16-01, IRENE Institute of Economic Research.
    4. Salomé Bakaloglou and Dorothée Charlier, 2019. "Energy Consumption in the French Residential Sector: How Much do Individual Preferences Matter?," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 3).
    5. Banfi, Silvia & Farsi, Mehdi & Filippini, Massimo & Jakob, Martin, 2008. "Willingness to pay for energy-saving measures in residential buildings," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 503-516, March.
    6. Fumiko Samejima, 1970. "Estimation of latent ability using a response pattern of graded scores," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 35(1), pages 139-139, March.
    7. Anna Alberini, Silvia Banfi, and Celine Ramseier, 2013. "Energy Efficiency Investments in the Home: Swiss Homeowners and Expectations about Future Energy Prices," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 1).
    8. Belaïd, Fateh & Bakaloglou, Salomé & Roubaud, David, 2018. "Direct rebound effect of residential gas demand: Empirical evidence from France," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 23-31.
    9. Li, Quan & Reuveny, Rafael, 2003. "Economic Globalization and Democracy: An Empirical Analysis," British Journal of Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 33(1), pages 29-54, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lang, Ghislaine & Farsi, Mehdi & Lanz, Bruno & Weber, Sylvain, 2021. "Energy efficiency and heating technology investments: Manipulating financial information in a discrete choice experiment," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    2. Ibolya Czibere & Imre Kovách & Gergely Boldizsár Megyesi, 2020. "Environmental Citizenship and Energy Efficiency in Four European Countries (Italy, The Netherlands, Switzerland and Hungary)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-18, February.
    3. 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.
    4. Dalia Streimikiene & Tomas Balezentis & Irena Alebaite, 2020. "Climate Change Mitigation in Households between Market Failures and Psychological Barriers," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-21, June.
    5. Fateh Belaïd & Christophe Rault & Camille Massié, 2021. "A Life-Cycle Analysis of French Household Electricity Demand," CESifo Working Paper Series 8814, CESifo.
    6. Fateh Belaïd & Christophe Rault & Camille Massié, 2022. "A life-cycle theory analysis of French household electricity demand," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 32(2), pages 501-530, April.
    7. Kaya, O. & Klepacka, A.M. & Florkowski, W.J., 2021. "The role of personal and environmental factors in rural homeowner decision to insulate; an example from Poland," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    8. Jia, Jun–Jun & Wu, Hua-Qing & Nie, Hong-Guang & Fan, Ying, 2019. "Modeling the willingness to pay for energy efficient residence in urban residential sector in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    9. Galassi, Veronica & Madlener, Reinhard, 2016. "Some Like it Hot: The Role of Environmental Concern and Comfort Expectations in Energy Retrofit Decisions," FCN Working Papers 11/2016, E.ON Energy Research Center, Future Energy Consumer Needs and Behavior (FCN).
    10. 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).
    11. Ramos, A. & Gago, A. & Labandeira, X. & Linares, P., 2015. "The role of information for energy efficiency in the residential sector," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(S1), pages 17-29.
    12. Fischbacher, Urs & Schudy, Simeon & Teyssier, Sabrina, 2021. "Heterogeneous preferences and investments in energy saving measures," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    13. S´ebastien Houde & Tobias Wekhof, 2021. "The Narrative of the Energy Efficiency Gap," CER-ETH Economics working paper series 21/359, CER-ETH - Center of Economic Research (CER-ETH) at ETH Zurich.
    14. Belaïd, Fateh & Joumni, Haitham, 2020. "Behavioral attitudes towards energy saving: Empirical evidence from France," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    15. Park, Jiyong & Woo, JongRoul, 2023. "Analyzing consumers' willingness to purchase energy-efficient appliances in response to energy price changes: Case study of South Korea," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(PA).
    16. 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.
    17. 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.
    18. Jovović, Ivana & Cirman, Andreja & Hrovatin, Nevenka & Zorić, Jelena, 2023. "Do social capital and housing-related lifestyle foster energy-efficient retrofits? Retrospective panel data evidence from Slovenia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    19. Anil Markandya & Xavier Labandeira & Ana Ramos, 2013. "Policy Instruments to Foster Energy Efficiency," Working Papers 01-2014, Economics for Energy.
    20. Richard G. Newell & Juha Siikamäki, 2014. "Nudging Energy Efficiency Behavior: The Role of Information Labels," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 1(4), pages 555-598.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:enejou:v:45:y:2024:i:1:p:125-148. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.