Chapter 6: Social Science Perspectives on Carbon. Second State of the Carbon Cycle Report

Are energy decisions about energy?

“…Previous studies argue that the homeowners' decisions about ERM are not isolated decisions but are situated in daily life and embedded in social practises. This is because the decision-making process of homeowners regarding ERM can be seen as an ongoing practise of home maintenance with multiple decision-making moments (Bartiaux et al, 2014;De Wilde, 2019;Fyhn & Baron, 2017;Gram-Hanssen, 2014a, 2014bJudson & Maller, 2014;Karvonen, 2013;Kastner & Stern, 2015;Kerr et al, 2018;Malone et al, 2018;Shove, 2012;Vlasova & Gram-Hanssen, 2014;Wilson et al, 2013;Wilson et al, 2015;Wilson et al, 2018). According to Rogers (Rogers, 2003b), there are five stages in the decision-making process, which are explained in Table 2.1.…”

“…Regarding this knowledge stage, several studies point out that interpersonal communication, through face-to face exchange, is the most effective way to persuade an individual to adopt an innovation (Mahapatra & Gustavsson, 2008;Malone et al, 2018;Rogers, 2003b). Likewise, other studies identified social influence (Darby, 2003;Venkatesh et al, 2003) and social norms (Bamberg, 2003;Elmustapha et al, 2018;Huijts et al, 2012) as influencing factors.…”

“…Secondly, policy actions can be designed to target the homeowners' specific needs because homeowners will begin considering ERM if they want to improve their living conditions to match their changing needs (Fyhn & Baron, 2017;Malone et al, 2018;Vlasova & Gram-Hanssen, 2014), such as improving their thermal comfort (Banfi et al, 2008;Karvonen, 2013;Mortensen et al, 2014;Nair et al, 2010a;RVO, 2016) or enhancing aesthetics (Karvonen, 2013;Mortensen et al, 2016). In addition, policy actions can target specific homeowners who are planning to change the layout of their house through an extension or a remodelling because ERM are often combined with other construction work.…”

“…This limited impact of current policy measures can be explained by: 1) instituting non-coercive policy instruments, 2) placing the responsibility for energy efficiency solely on homeowners (Murphy et al, 2012), 3) addressing homeowners in policies as rational decision-makers (Ariely, 2010;Lutzenhister, 2014;Maller & Horne, 2011;Murphy, 2014;Schelly, 2014;Taranu & Verbeeck, 2017;Wilson et al, 2015), and 4) overlooking the social aspects of renovation (Bartiaux et al, 2014;Gram-Hanssen, 2014a;Judson & Maller, 2014;Karvonen, 2013;Kastner & Stern, 2015;Malone et al, 2018;Wilson et al, 2015). As a direct result, most policies ignore the diversity of concerns and motivations in relation to ERM (Bartiaux et al, 2014;Crosbie & Baker, 2010;Judson & Maller, 2014;Karvonen, 2013;Kastner & Stern, 2015;Wilson et al, 2015).…”

“…To increase the impact of policies, a more holistic perspective is needed concerning the decision-making process of private homeowners regarding ERM (Kastner & Stern, 2015;Malone et al, 2018;Wilson et al, 2018). This challenge is addressed in this paper by analysing this complex and diverse decision-making process.…”