Energy efficiency and consumption — the rebound effect — a survey
TL;DR: In this paper, a review of some of the relevant literature from the US offers definitions and identifies sources including direct, secondary, and economy-wide sources and concludes that the range of estimates for the size of the rebound effect is very low to moderate.
About: This article is published in Energy Policy.The article was published on 2000-06-01. It has received 1867 citations till now. The article focuses on the topics: Rebound effect (conservation) & Energy consumption.
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TL;DR: Long before behavioral economists began to combine economic theory with discoveries from psychology, environmentalists were nudging and framing and pushing their cause through psychological tools as mentioned in this paper, and their cause was pushed through psychological advocates.
Abstract: Long before behavioral economists began to combine economic theory with discoveries from psychology, environmentalists were nudging and framing and pushing their cause through psychological...
33 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a qualitative investigation of the household electricity cultures of PV adopters and non-adopters was conducted in Berne, Switzerland, one of the top European countries of per capita PV growth.
Abstract: The promotion of solar photovoltaics (PV) is one way that countries can reduce their energy-related greenhouse gas emissions. While there has been substantial growth in the uptake of PV in countries around the world, often coupled with financial incentives, climate change mitigation demands accelerated transition pathways. To drive purposeful policies, the underlying dynamics of PV adoption and diffusion need to be better understood. Specifically, place-specific social and cultural differences across countries and regions can impact policy effectiveness. This paper contributes to debates on PV adoption and energy policy in Berne, Switzerland, one of the top European countries of per capita PV growth. With a qualitative investigation of the household electricity cultures of PV adopters and non-adopters we examine the way in which ‘cultural’ attributes influence the uptake of PV. The research points to the complex dynamics of (non-)adoption. First, the findings illustrate that while cultures allow for change, their dynamics have self-sustaining tendencies. Secondly, more broadly shared cultural trends form part of a regionally-specific ‘contextual soup’ shaping the electricity cultures of households. Acknowledging place-specific, multi-scalar cultural dynamics we discuss the need to rethink policy preferences for economic factors in a one-size-fits-all perspective and promote targeted, context-specific PV policies.
32 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue that contradiction is a constitutive feature of low-carbon interventions, and they unpack the concept of contra diction in three ways: first, by displaying a Hegelian-inspired understanding of contradiction in relation to change, time, and desire; second, by explaining how inherent contradictions can also be read as excesses that characterize the deployment of methods of calculation in low carbon interventions; and third, by situating these contradictions within the overall dynamics of carbon governance and purposive attempts to bring about a low carbon transition.
Abstract: This paper presents an analysis of contradictions in urban low carbon transitions as engines of change. Following Kojeve's reading of contradiction in Hegel's oeuvre, I argue that contradiction is a constitutive feature of low carbon interventions. This is an alternative to conventional readings of contradiction as a provisional encounter of opposites in which one will eventually cancel out the other. I unpack the concept of contra diction in three ways: first, by displaying a Hegelian-inspired understanding of contradiction in relation to change, time, and desire; second, by explaining how inherent contradictions can also be read in relation to the excesses that characterize the deployment of methods of calculation in low carbon interventions; and third, by situating these contradictions within the overall dynamics of carbon governance and purposive attempts to bring about a low carbon transition. The paper explores the practical implications of this analysis in a case of low carbon interventions in social housing in Ljubljana, Slovenia. The case study shows that, if contradictions are at the heart of low carbon interventions, contradiction analysis may provide a direction towards broader reconfigurations of social and technological practices and generate a desire to change.
32 citations
Cites background from "Energy efficiency and consumption —..."
...In energy studies, for example, the ‘rebound effect’ recognizes that efficiency improvements are hardly translated into parallel reductions of energy consumption (Greening et al, 2000)....
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TL;DR: A new approach is proposed, complementary to the prospective and anticipatory life cycle assessment literature, addressing the above concerns and attempting to make sense of the large uncertainties inherent in such analyses by using distributions to model all the inputs.
Abstract: Prospective environmental assessment of emerging technology is necessary in order to inform designers of beneficial changes early in a technology's development, and policy makers looking to fund projects and nudge manufacturers toward the most sustainable application of a technology. Existing analyses often have shortcomings such as failing to consider the environmental impacts in all stages of a product's life cycle; implicitly assuming that the emerging technology will be cost‐effective wherever it is technically viable; and assuming optimistic application scenarios that discontinue long‐established trends in human behavior. In this article, we propose a new approach, complementary to the prospective and anticipatory life cycle assessment literature, addressing the above concerns and attempting to make sense of the large uncertainties inherent in such analyses by using distributions to model all the inputs. The paper focuses on emerging manufacturing technologies, such as incremental sheet forming (ISF), but the issues examined are also applicable to new end‐use products, such as autonomous vehicles. This paper makes use of approaches (such as Bass modeling and product cannibalization considerations) familiar to those in the business community who anticipate market diffusion of a new technology and the effect on existing technology sales. The proposed methodology is demonstrated by estimating the potential environmental impacts in the U.S. car industry by 2030 of an emerging double‐sided ISF process. Energy and cost models of ISF and drawing are used to estimate potential mean savings of around 100 TJprimary and 60 million U.S. dollars per year by 2030.
32 citations
Cites result from "Energy efficiency and consumption —..."
...For example, previous researchers have found that the aggregated energy rebound in developed countries is low (Greening et al. 2000) compared to developing countries with lower material wealth (Roy 2000; Antal and van den Bergh 2014)....
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors developed a method for estimating the rebound effect for residential rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems based on economic and geographic information systems modeling, which is illustrated through a numerical example, using neighborhood-level data from Fulton County, Georgia, USA.
32 citations
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Book•
01 Jan 1980
TL;DR: Deaton and Muellbauer as mentioned in this paper introduced generations of students to the economic theory of consumer behaviour and used it in applied econometrics, including consumer index numbers, household characteristics, demand, and household welfare comparisons.
Abstract: This classic text has introduced generations of students to the economic theory of consumer behaviour. Written by 2015 Nobel Laureate Angus Deaton and John Muellbauer, the book begins with a self-contained presentation of the basic theory and its use in applied econometrics. These early chapters also include elementary extensions of the theory to labour supply, durable goods, the consumption function, and rationing. The rest of the book is divided into three parts. In the first of these the authors discuss restrictions on choice and aggregation problems. The next part consists of chapters on consumer index numbers; household characteristics, demand, and household welfare comparisons; and social welfare and inequality. The last part extends the coverage of consumer behaviour to include the quality of goods and household production theory, labour supply and human capital theory, the consumption function and intertemporal choice, the demand for durable goods, and choice under uncertainty.
3,952 citations
TL;DR: In this article, an industrial demand for energy is essentially a derived demand: the firm's demand for the energy is an input, derived from demand for a firm's output, which is an output.
Abstract: Industrial demand for energy is essentially a derived demand: the firm's demand for energy is an input is derived from demand for the firm's output. Inputs other than energy typically also enter the firm's production process. Since firms tend to choose that bundle of inputs which minimized the total cost of producing a giving level of output, the derived demand for inputs, including energy, depends on the level of output, the submitions possibilies among inputs allow by production technology, and the relative prices of all inputs.
1,422 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a model of individual behavior in the purchase and utilization of energy-using durables is presented, where the tradeoff between capital costs for more energy efficient appliances and operating costs for the appliances is emphasized.
Abstract: This article presents a model of individual behavior in the purchase and utilization of energy-using durables. The tradeoff between capital costs for more energy efficient appliances and operating costs for the appliances is emphasized. Using data on both the purchase and utilization of room air conditioners, the model is applied to a sample of households. The utilization equation indicates a relatively low price elasticity. The purchase equation, based on a discrete choice model, demonstrates that individuals do trade off capital costs and expected operating costs. The results also show that individuals use a discount rate of about 20 percent in making the tradeoff decision and that the discount rate varies inversely with income.
1,361 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that the indiscriminate use of mandated standards will backfire, but a mix of selective standards and reliance on prices as a restraint can be effective.
Abstract: Regulations which mandate appliance efficiency standards may be based on calculations which exaggerate the potential energy savings. Improved efficiency can, in fact, increase demand enough to be counterproductive unless the standards are applied selectively. As appliances improve, they are used more, new stock is demanded, and the demand for and use of related equipment increases. The policy implications of these empirical studies are that the indiscriminate use of mandated standards will backfire, but a mix of selective standards and reliance on prices as a restraint can be effective. 11 references, 5 figures, 2 tables. (DCK)
802 citations
Posted Content•
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a detailed study of automobile demand and use, presenting forecasts based on the powerful new techniques of qualitative choice analysis and standard regression techniques, which are combined to analyze situations that neither alone can accurately forecast.
Abstract: This book addresses two significant research areas in an interdependent fashion. It is first of all a comprehensive but concise text that covers the recently developed and widely applicable methods of qualitative choice analysis, illustrating the general theory through simulation models of automobile demand and use. It is also a detailed study of automobile demand and use, presenting forecasts based on these powerful new techniques. The book develops the general principles that underlie qualitative choice models that are now being applied in numerous fields in addition to transportation, such as housing, labor, energy, communications, and criminology. The general form, derivation, and estimation of qualitative choice models are explained, and the major models - logit, probit, and GEV - are discussed in detail. And continuous/discrete models are introduced. In these, qualitative choice methods and standard regression techniques are combined to analyze situations that neither alone can accurately forecast. Summarizing previous research on auto demand, the book shows how qualitative choice methods can be used by applying them to specific auto-related decisions as the aggregate of individuals' choices. The simulation model that is constructed is a significant improvement over older models, and should prove more useful to agencies and organizations requiring accurate forecasting of auto demand and use for planning and policy development. The book concludes with an actual case study based on a model designed for the investigations of the California Energy Commission.
726 citations