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Title: Two (or more) for one: Identifying classes of household energy- and water-saving measures to understand the potential for positive spillover

Journal Article · · PLoS ONE
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [3];  [4]
  1. Univ. of California, Davis, CA (United States)
  2. Univ. of Vermont, Burlington, VT (United States)
  3. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
  4. Univ. of the Pacific, Stockton, CA (United States)
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A key component of behavior-based energy conservation programs is the identification of target behaviors. A common approach is to target behaviors with the greatest energy-saving potential. The concept of behavioral spillover introduces further considerations, namely that adoption of one energy-saving behavior may increase (or decrease) the likelihood of other energy-saving behaviors. This research aimed to identify and describe household energy- and water-saving measure classes within which positive spillover is likely to occur (e.g., adoption of energy-efficient appliances may correlate with adoption of water-efficient appliances), and explore demographic and psychographic predictors of each. Nearly 1,000 households in a California city were surveyed and asked to report whether they had adopted 75 different energy- and/or water-saving measures. Principal Component Analysis and Network Analysis based on correlations between adoption of these diverse measures revealed and characterized eight water-energy-saving measure classes: Water Conservation, Energy Conservation, Maintenance and Management, Efficient Appliance, Advanced Efficiency, Efficient Irrigation, Green Gardening, and Green Landscaping. Understanding these measure classes can help guide behavior-based energy program developers in selecting target behaviors and designing interventions.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE); California Department of Water Resources
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
1896682
Journal Information:
PLoS ONE, Vol. 17, Issue 7; ISSN 1932-6203
Publisher:
Public Library of ScienceCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
behavior
energy conservation
surveys
computer software
principal component analysis
network analysis
housing
surface water