Sufficiency before efficiency: Consumers' profiling and barriers/facilitators of energy efficient behaviours

Gaspar, Rui; Antunes, Dalila; Faria, Ana; Meiszner, Andreas

Publication

Sufficiency before efficiency: Consumers' profiling and barriers/facilitators of energy efficient behaviours

2017Journal article

dc.contributor.author	Gaspar, Rui
dc.contributor.author	Antunes, Dalila
dc.contributor.author	Faria, Ana
dc.contributor.author	Meiszner, Andreas
dc.date.accessioned	2017-11-04T11:25:50Z
dc.date.available	2017-11-04T11:25:50Z
dc.date.issued	2017
dc.description.abstract	Even if consumers have positive attitudes towards the environment and household energy conservation measures, and are seemingly motivated to implement them, there are factors that function as barriers to such behaviours. The literature is still insufficient in exploring variables with such negative influence and in identifying ways of shielding consumers against it. A first step towards the latter can be achieved through energy consumers' psychosocial profiles identification, i.e. configurations of consumer characteristics based on a set of psychosocial factors. To contribute in this regard, a nationwide survey of Portuguese householders aimed to identify: 1) psychosocial factors that may function as barriers or facilitators to energy conservation measures implementation; and 2) psychosocial consumer profiles defined based on facilitators, i.e. factors with a positive/facilitative influence over such implementation. Despite highly positive environmental and energy conservation attitudes, householders reported that what they did was “sufficient”. This perceived “sufficiency” functioned as a justification for not “doing more” which, in addition to consumption estimation biases, seemingly constituted energy conservation barriers. Additionally, a k-means Cluster Analysis identified specific configurations of psychosocial factors e consumer profiles e that may function as energy conservation facilitators. Applying procedures as exemplified in this study may therefore enable tailoring behaviour change interventions to the different identified energy consumer's profiles, in order to promote energy efficient household behaviours.	pt_PT
dc.description.sponsorship	Entidade Reguladora do Sector Energ etico - ERSE	pt_PT
dc.description.version	info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion	pt_PT
dc.identifier.citation	Journal of Cleaner Production, 165, 134-142 doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.07.075	pt_PT
dc.identifier.doi	10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.07.075	pt_PT
dc.identifier.issn	0959-6526
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10400.12/5886
dc.language.iso	eng	pt_PT
dc.peerreviewed	yes	pt_PT
dc.publisher	Elsevier BV	pt_PT
dc.relation	PPEC 2009-2010-EnergyProfiler	pt_PT
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/	pt_PT
dc.subject	Energy efficiency	pt_PT
dc.subject	Household energy consumption	pt_PT
dc.subject	Behavioural barriers	pt_PT
dc.subject	Behavioural facilitators	pt_PT
dc.subject	Consumer profiles	pt_PT
dc.title	Sufficiency before efficiency: Consumers' profiling and barriers/facilitators of energy efficient behaviours	pt_PT
dc.type	journal article
dspace.entity.type	Publication
oaire.awardURI	info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/5876/UID%2FPSI%2F04810%2F2013/PT
oaire.citation.conferencePlace	Netherlands	pt_PT
oaire.citation.endPage	142	pt_PT
oaire.citation.startPage	134	pt_PT
oaire.citation.title	Journal of Cleaner Production	pt_PT
oaire.citation.volume	165	pt_PT
oaire.fundingStream	5876
project.funder.identifier	http://doi.org/10.13039/501100001871
project.funder.name	Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
rcaap.rights	restrictedAccess	pt_PT
rcaap.type	article	pt_PT
relation.isProjectOfPublication	bde29b74-579e-493a-920c-09723e43ef3d
relation.isProjectOfPublication.latestForDiscovery	bde29b74-579e-493a-920c-09723e43ef3d