Transportation, clothing, and housing energy conservation of rural families with teenagers

Thesis/Dissertation · Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:6890880

Pedersen, E L

The goal of this investigation was to explore the energy consumption attitudes, knowledge, and practices of 10 rural families with teenagers. Three microenvironments were investigated: transportation, clothing, and housing. Data were collected in a seven-month longitudinal field study, August 1981 to February 1982. It was discovered that in the transportation microenvironment there is a relationship between high mileage and farm families, the number of activities, distance for activities, the number of vehicles, status and freedom-mobility attitudes, and the frequency of travel to relatives. There is a relationship between automotive energy conservation and a vocational or occupational interest in automobiles. In the clothing microenvironment, thermal comfort was more important to adults than to teenagers. There was a positive relationship between thermal comfort knowldege and attitudes and between thermal comfort practices and knowledge. There was a relationship between low natural gas consumption and small families, small houses, the performance of energy conservation tasks, and physical comfort as a least important attitude. Low electricity consumption was linked with small families and the use of a small number of appliances. Families developed mechanisms to adapt to increasing resource prices. Families were unwilling to give up comfort in their microenvironments. Comfort in the housing and clothing microenvironments was positively related; it was not a trade-off for energy conservation. In the transportation microenvironment families chose not to ride in physical discomfort and convenience was a major contributor to the freedom from discomfort available through the free use of a private vehicle.

• OSTI ID: 6890880
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
ENERGY CONSERVATION
ATTITUDES
SOCIAL IMPACT
ENERGY CONSUMPTION
RURAL POPULATIONS
BEHAVIOR
AUTOMOBILES
CLOTHING
HOUSES
THERMAL COMFORT
BUILDINGS
HUMAN POPULATIONS
POPULATIONS
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
VEHICLES
320000* - Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization
291000 - Energy Planning & Policy- Conservation
290200 - Energy Planning & Policy- Economics & Sociology