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Social and Behavioral Aspects of Energy use

Social and Behavioral Aspects of Energy use The role of human social behavior has been largely overlooked in energy analysis, despite the fact that it significantly amplifies and dampens the effects of technology-based efficiency improvements . Noting this fact, Schipper concludes with some irony that: " . . . those of us who call ourselves energy analysts have made a mistake . . . we have analyzed energy . We should have analyzed human behavior" ( 1 ) . Although scattered across social science disciplines, a body o f research concerned with human factors in energy use does exist that can be applied in energy analysis. This chapter reviews that literature. Its primary focus is on household consumption-the area where most behavioral research has concentrated-but it also considers macro-social consumption processes. The review is divided into seven sections in which the following topics are discussed: behavior and variability in consumption; public opinion and conservation attitudes; price and information; billing and rates; consumer knowledge and the social contexts of consumption; micro-behavioral studies of actor-building-technology systems; and the macro-social organization of energy use. It concludes with a discussion of knowledge gaps and limits to the expansion of needed research. BEHAVIOR AND ENERGY USE: CHANGING CONDITIONS AND COMPETING http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Annual Review of Environment and Resources Annual Reviews

Social and Behavioral Aspects of Energy use

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References (53)

Publisher
Annual Reviews
Copyright
Copyright 1993 Annual Reviews. All rights reserved
Subject
Review Articles
ISSN
1543-5938
DOI
10.1146/annurev.eg.18.110193.001335
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The role of human social behavior has been largely overlooked in energy analysis, despite the fact that it significantly amplifies and dampens the effects of technology-based efficiency improvements . Noting this fact, Schipper concludes with some irony that: " . . . those of us who call ourselves energy analysts have made a mistake . . . we have analyzed energy . We should have analyzed human behavior" ( 1 ) . Although scattered across social science disciplines, a body o f research concerned with human factors in energy use does exist that can be applied in energy analysis. This chapter reviews that literature. Its primary focus is on household consumption-the area where most behavioral research has concentrated-but it also considers macro-social consumption processes. The review is divided into seven sections in which the following topics are discussed: behavior and variability in consumption; public opinion and conservation attitudes; price and information; billing and rates; consumer knowledge and the social contexts of consumption; micro-behavioral studies of actor-building-technology systems; and the macro-social organization of energy use. It concludes with a discussion of knowledge gaps and limits to the expansion of needed research. BEHAVIOR AND ENERGY USE: CHANGING CONDITIONS AND COMPETING

Journal

Annual Review of Environment and ResourcesAnnual Reviews

Published: Nov 1, 1993

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