Domestic thermal upgrades, community action and energy saving: a three-year experimental study of prosperous households

Bardsley, N., Buechs, M., James, P., Papafragou, A., Rushby, T., Saunders, C., Smith, G., Wallbridge, R. and Woodman, N. (2019) Domestic thermal upgrades, community action and energy saving: a three-year experimental study of prosperous households. Energy Policy, 127. pp. 475-485. ISSN 0301-4215 doi: 10.1016/j.enpol.2018.11.036

Abstract/Summary

A three-year field experiment was conducted with 185 prosperous households to assess whether behavioural interventions by a community environmental group during and after thermal upgrades (cavity wall and/or loft insulation) can achieve reductions in households’ energy use, including reductions in direct and indirect rebound. The engineering interventions on the thermal efficiency of dwellings appear effective in reducing energy use in both treatment and control groups: a direct rebound effect is estimated to be at most 40 per cent from the engineering interventions. However, across a range of measures of energy use, we observe no significant effect of the community behavioural intervention across the total lifetime of the project. Qualitative data collected on similar community groups suggests substantial constraints on their capacity to realise reductions in energy use amongst households.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/80692
Identification Number/DOI	10.1016/j.enpol.2018.11.036
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Agriculture, Policy and Development > Department of Agri-Food Economics & Marketing
Publisher	Elsevier
Download/View statistics	View download statistics for this item