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: The Austrian Education Energy Initiative ETSIT has been established as a response to the EU Energy Efficiency Directive and the Austrian Energy Efficiency Act as mentioned in this paper and investigates the energy literacy of its young participants, i.e., 6000 primary and secondary school students altogether, on a cognitive, affective and behavioural level, and compares the putative energy-saving effectiveness of the workshops to that of conventional energy audits.
Abstract: The Austrian Education Energy Initiative ETSIT has been established as a response to the EU Energy Efficiency Directive and the Austrian Energy Efficiency Act. This paper investigates the energy literacy of its young participants, i.e., 6000 primary and secondary school students altogether, on a cognitive, affective and behavioural level, and it compares the putative energy-saving effectiveness of the workshops to that of conventional energy audits.For the current analysis, data from, 640 students who validly answered an online survey shortly after participating in one of the energy education workshops, and 353 students who validly answered the online survey approximately one year after having participated (overall n = 993) were analysed. The results indicate that ETSIT raises students’ energy literacy on a cognitive, affective and behavioural level with about three-quarters of participants claiming they will positively change their energy consumption behaviour in the future as a result of workshop participation. This is true shortly after participation in the workshops, and also at the 1-year follow-up. In its second impact perspective, this paper delivers an innovative attempt to look at education from a cost-benefit analysis. A default formula for energy audits is adopted to quantify the kilowatt hours (and thus emissions and costs) saved through workshop participation. Despite limitations, the surprising results show that such workshops can compete with conventional energy audits, and that education can, in fact, help save money, resources, and, most important of all, the climate.
9 citations
01 Jan 2015
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explain which secondary environmental consequences (often called rebound effects) life cycle assessment and life cycle management of products need to consider in addition to the conventional product LCA, and which roles different actors in society have in the context of environmentally sustainable consumption.
Abstract: The objective of this chapter is to explain which secondary environmental consequences (often called rebound effects) life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle management (LCM) of products need to consider in addition to the conventional product LCA, and which roles different actors in society have in the context of environmentally sustainable consumption The key issue is that any consumption decision affects the consumer’s household resources of available income, time, and space (volume, area), what leads to additional or reduced overall consumption, within the limits of further consumption constraints and cross-category effects Exactly how any additional resources are used by the consumer strongly affects the overall consumption Moreover, this chapter considers the consumption on person, on national and global level, with some focus on sustainable lifestyles, and concludes with recommendations on next steps towards better measurement and management of the environmental secondary consequences of consumption
9 citations
Cites background from "Energy efficiency and consumption —..."
...…• Marginal shift to better fulfil the less well fulfilled needs • General increase of average consumption This first variant of using the freed resource is – if the household resource is income – also termed direct rebound effect, substitution effect, or pure price effect (Greening et al. 2000)....
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...This includes to steer or counteract the transformational effect (Greening et al. 2000)....
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...The last three variants are also called indirect rebound effect, income effect, or secondary effect (Greening et al. 2000)....
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TL;DR: In this article, a survey was conducted in four major urban areas: Chicago, Houston, New York, and San Francisco to understand how consumers choose to adopt energy-efficient artificial lighting for their homes.
Abstract: Artificial lighting has transformed how humans relate to the world, by improving productivity and making spaces habitable. The adoption of energy-efficient solid-state lighting, light emitting diodes (LED), has been suggested as a way of reducing energy used for lighting. Such predictions rest on the assumptions of constant light density and time of use in the future, assumptions not supported by past trends. In order to better understand how consumers choose to adopt energy-efficient artificial lighting for their homes; a survey was administered in four major urban areas: Chicago, Houston, New York, and San Francisco. Major insights from the survey indicate that if lighting becomes less expensive through adopting energy-efficient light sources, there is the potential for consumers to use considerably more, and the point at which the price for LED lighting yields broad market penetration is about one half of current prices. Regional factors such as lighting subsidies, taxation policies, laws, and educational information are also explored.
9 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors estimate the impacts of passenger car and light-truck fuel economy improvements in the U.S. since 1975 on the real monetary incomes of households by income quintile over the period 1980-2014.
9 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate the extent to which Japanese people can change their consumption and the corresponding environmental impact and propose a new analytical framework with a rebound matrix that captures the monetary flow from potential savings to their respending (referred to as rebound).
Abstract: We investigate the extent to which Japanese people can change their consumption and the corresponding environmental impact. We propose a new analytical framework with a rebound matrix that captures the monetary flow from potential savings to their respending (referred to as rebound). A questionnaire is used to derive the matrix. On average, respondents spent 3.4 million Yen annually, resulting in 12.4 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in their daily lives. The survey results suggest that acceptable spending reductions would correspond to a CO2 emissions reduction of nearly 6%. However, the CO2 emissions would increase by nearly the same amount when the respondents respend their savable money (rebound CO2 emissions). The annual CO2 emissions and the annually reducible CO2 emissions both increase with the increase in annual expenditure. Consequently, the net CO2 emissions also increase with the increase in annual expenditure. The rebound spending is approximated using the rebound matrix. Finally, it is suggested that the net CO2 emissions can be reduced through lifestyle changes whereby spending on energy items is reduced and the resulting savings are spent on telecommunication, clothes, shoes, education, and housing
9 citations
References
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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