Communicating with whom? The effectiveness of appliance energy labels in the U.S. and Thailand
The proliferation of household appliances is a global energy problem, and this comparative study of appliance energy labeling in the US and Thailand offers opportunities to learn from the implementation of programs in countries with different income levels and cultural and political climates. In the US, the author conducted participant observation in an appliance store and interviewed 16 policymakers, 14 salespeople, and 100 consumers. In Thailand, he interviewed 11 policymakers, 53 salespeople, and 62 consumers, and carried out a national survey of 971 consumers. This study is the first time that energy labels have been examined primarily as a problem of consumer cognition in context--that is, how consumers read, interpret, and think about energy labels in the retail environment. After just three years of implementation, the Thai appliance labeling program is having a significantly greater impact on the consumer appliance market than is the 20-year-old US program. While Thai salespeople report that more than 60% of consumers ask about or look at the label, the corresponding number for the US is just 20%. Energy efficiency was reported among the top-three purchase priorities by 28% of Thai appliance consumers, compared to just 11% of US consumers. In his in-store tests of label cognition, the US EnergyGuide label fared poorly, and the Thai appliance label was more effective at helping consumers to identify efficient models. Yet both labels suffer from the problem of too much detailed product information, which hinders label comprehension.
- Research Organization:
- International Inst. for Energy Conservation, Bangkok (TH)
- OSTI ID:
- 20006340
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-980815--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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