Household attitudes toward energy conservation in the Pacific Northwest: overview and comparisons

Technical Report · Sat Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1985

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/5532207· OSTI ID:5532207

Fang, J M

This report presents an overview of a baseline residential energy conservation study for the Pacific Northwest conducted in November 1983 by RMH Research, Inc. It also compares the study results with available data from other surveys. The primary focus of the RMH study is conservation marketing. As such it assesses the attitudes, perceptions, and past conservation actions of the region's residents and provides market segmentation based upon past conservation actions and the propensity to invest in conservation in the future. Excluding renters, who account for about 24% of the region's households, three prospect groups for marketing conservation investments are identified: First Tier Prospects who are very likely to invest in additional conservation measures requiring larger sums of money (estimated at about 547,000 households, or 18 percent of the region's households); Second Tier Prospects who are somewhat likely to invest in full weatherization (estimated at about 22% of the region's households or 695,700); and Non-Prospects who are unlikely to invest in energy conservation in the near future (estimated to be 1,113,400 or 36% of the regional total). A summary comparison of the most important distinguishing attributes of the three prospect groups is presented. Considering the current surplus status of the region's electricity supply situation and the overall strategy in capability building, implications include (1) using public information programs through utilities and the news media to maintain the conservation interests of the first-tier prospects and (2) exploring ways to move the second-tier prospects into the first tier and to reach the so-called non-prospect and rental housing groups.

• Research Organization: Pacific Northwest Labs., Richland, WA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC06-76RL01830
• OSTI ID: 5532207
• Report Number(s): PNL-5405; ON: DE85013765
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320101* -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Residential Buildings-- (-1987)
BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION
BUILDINGS
CLASSIFICATION
ENERGY CONSERVATION
FEDERAL REGION X
INFORMATION DISSEMINATION
INVESTMENT
MARKETING
MARKETING RESEARCH
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NORTH AMERICA
PUBLIC OPINION
RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS
RESIDENTIAL SECTOR
SURVEYS
US DOE
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA
WEATHERIZATION