Role of Self-Efficacy in Reducing Residential Energy Usage

AbstractEnergy usage continues to increase across the globe, which has resulted in increased methods for conserving energy. However, most of these methods for decreasing energy consumption focus on political and economic policies, as well as curtailing usage by promoting individual energy-efficient products and practices such as appliances, electronics, and improved building envelope maintenance. To determine better methods and policies to conserve energy, individual habits and perceptions of energy usage need to be considered. One such consideration is a household’s perception of energy usage habits and the belief or self-efficacy that becoming an energy saver can make an impact. For this research, a field study was completed in the rural community of Woodbine, Iowa, to determine if self-efficacy via perceptions of energy consumption could predict actual energy usage. To examine the impact of self-efficacy on energy usage, perceptions of energy consumption were compared with actual changes in energy usag...

[1]  M. Jabor,et al.  Reporting and Interpreting Effect Size in Quantitative Agricultural Education Research. , 2011 .

[2]  Zosia Brown,et al.  Feedback and adaptive behaviour in green buildings , 2009 .

[3]  M. Dresner.  Changing Energy End-Use Patterns as a Means of Reducing Global-Warming Trends , 1990 .

[4]  B. Zimmerman,et al.  Self-Efficacy: An Essential Motive to Learn. , 2000, Contemporary educational psychology.

[5]  Jinlong Ouyang,et al.  Energy-saving potential by improving occupants’ behavior in urban residential sector in Hangzhou City, China , 2009 .

[6]  R. Cole,et al.  Influence of occupants' knowledge on comfort expectations and behaviour , 2009 .

[7]  Wander Jager,et al.  Stimulating the diffusion of photovoltaic systems: A behavioural perspective , 2006 .

[8]  I. Vassileva,et al.  Analytical comparison between electricity consumption and behavioral characteristics of Swedish households in rented apartments , 2012 .

[9]  G. T. Gardner,et al.  The Short List: The Most Effective Actions U.S. Households Can Take to Curb Climate Change , 2008 .

[10]  J. Thøgersen,et al.  Electricity saving in households--A social cognitive approach , 2010 .

[11]  Reducing Energy Consumption in Housing: An Assessment of Alternatives , 1982 .

[12]  Gwendolyn Brandon,et al.  REDUCING HOUSEHOLD ENERGY CONSUMPTION: A QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE FIELD STUDY , 1999 .

[13]  Carlos Henggeler Antunes,et al.  Energy behaviours as promoters of energy efficiency: A 21st century review , 2012 .

[14]  Tianzhen Hong,et al.  Occupant Behavior: Impact onEnergy Use of Private Offices , 2013 .

[15]  Linda Steg,et al.  Promoting household energy conservation , 2008 .

[16]  Timothy F. Smith,et al.  The influence of consumers' environmental beliefs and attitudes on energy saving behaviours , 2011 .

[17]  Peter G. Taylor,et al.  Final energy use in IEA countries: The role of energy efficiency , 2010 .

[18]  Adrian Leaman,et al.  Assessing building performance in use 4: the Probe occupant surveys and their implications , 2001 .

[19]  A. Bandura.  Self-efficacy. I: V. S. Ramachandran (red.), Encyclopedia of human behavior (vol. s. ). New York: Academic Press. , 1994 .

[20]  W. Abrahamse,et al.  How do socio-demographic and psychological factors relate to households' direct and indirect energy use and savings? , 2009 .

[21]  P Pieter-Jan Hoes,et al.  User behavior in whole building simulation , 2009 .

[22]  M. Dekay,et al.  Public perceptions of energy consumption and savings , 2010, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[23]  A. Bandura.  Self-efficacy mechanism in human agency , 2024, Psihologìâ ì suspìlʹstvo.

[24]  Andreas Wagner,et al.  Thermal comfort and workplace occupant satisfaction—Results of field studies in German low energy office buildings , 2007 .