Open AccessTechnological Innovations, Behavioural Interventions, and Household Energy Conservation
Author(s) -
Chandra Sekhar Bahinipati,
Rahul A. Sirohi,
S. Rao
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
ecology, economy and society--the insee journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2581-6152
pISSN - 2581-6101
DOI - 10.37773/ees.v5i1.530
Subject(s) - psychological intervention , globe , energy conservation , public economics , sustainable consumption , economics , consumption (sociology) , public policy , business , energy consumption , efficient energy use , natural resource economics , economic growth , production (economics) , engineering , sociology , psychology , macroeconomics , social science , electrical engineering , neuroscience , psychiatry
The threats associated with climate change and the worsening ecological crisis have led to a growing interest in energy-conservation policies. Policymakers across the globe have been scrambling to find cost-effective and sustainable methods to meet the world’s growing energy demands. Traditional policies have so far largely focused on supply-side interventions aimed at encouraging energy efficiency via green innovation and new technologies. However, as several studies have indicated, supply-side policies alone are unlikely to be adequate to achieve the ambitious changes required to make our future sustainable. This review article draws on recent studies in behavioural economics to emphasize the need to reorient public policy towards altering consumer end-uses through behavioural interventions. In an attempt to draw out important lessons for public policy, the article reviews this emerging strand of literature and underlines the complex factors that influence energy consumption in a household.