Skip to main content
Disciplines
Automotive Business IT + Informatics Construction + Real Estate Electrical Engineering + Electronics Energy + Sustainability Insurance + Risk Finance + Banking Management + Leadership Marketing + Sales Mechanical Engineering + Materials
Events
DE
EN
Books
Journals
Topic Page
Marketing
Start single access now
Access for companies
EXTENDED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Published in:
Cover of the book

2021 | OriginalPaper | Chapter

1. Energy Efficiency Gap in Switzerland: An Empirical Study on Online Purchases of White Goods

Author : Marcel Stadelmann

Published in: Sustainability and Environmental Decision Making

Publisher: Springer Singapore

Log in

Activate our intelligent search to find suitable subject content or patents.

search-config
loading …

Abstract

An energy efficiency gap implies that purchases of more energy-efficient equipment result in monetary (and energy) savings. This chapter analyzes the energy efficiency gap for white goods in Switzerland. Hereby, it takes advantage of the unique characteristics of “twin” products – i.e., two products sharing identical characteristics except for their energy efficiency and their purchase price. The energy efficiency gap requires two conditions to be met: First, the energy-efficient twin has to have a lower present value of total costs than its inefficient counterpart, and second, the inefficient twin has to be purchased nonetheless. In an empirical analysis of the Swiss online market for twin white goods, this chapter illustrates cases meeting both conditions for different discount rates. Based on these cases, the size of the respective energy efficiency gap is calculated. The energy efficiency gap is measured by the relative difference between the mean annual electricity consumption of the products actually purchased and the mean annual electricity consumption of products hypothetically purchased by fully rational economic agents. It seems that for reasonable discount rates the energy efficiency gap is rather small. One key reason seems to be the generally high purchase price premium of energy-efficient appliances.

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

  • über 102.000 Bücher
  • über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

  • Automobil + Motoren
  • Bauwesen + Immobilien
  • Business IT + Informatik
  • Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
  • Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
  • Finance + Banking
  • Management + Führung
  • Marketing + Vertrieb
  • Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
  • Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Springer Professional "Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

  • über 67.000 Bücher
  • über 390 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

  • Automobil + Motoren
  • Bauwesen + Immobilien
  • Business IT + Informatik
  • Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
  • Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
  • Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe




 

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

  • über 67.000 Bücher
  • über 340 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

  • Bauwesen + Immobilien
  • Business IT + Informatik
  • Finance + Banking
  • Management + Führung
  • Marketing + Vertrieb
  • Versicherung + Risiko




Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now
next chapter Behavioral Spillovers in Environmental Behavior
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
Allcott H, Greenstone M (2012) Is there an energy efficiency gap? J Econ Perspect 26(1):3–28CrossRef
Allcott H, Wozny N (2014) Gasoline prices, fuel economy, and the energy paradox. Rev Econ Stat 96(5):779–795CrossRef
Andreoni J, Kuhn MA, Sprenger C (2015) Measuring time preferences: a comparison of experimental methods. J Econ Behav Organ 116:451–464CrossRef
Association of Manufacturers of Domestic Appliances (2008) The time to change programme: encouraging energy efficiency in UK households. Presentation at the occasion of EU Sustainable Energy Week
Busse MR, Knittel CR, Zettelmeyer F (2013) Are consumers myopic? Evidence from new and used car purchases. Am Econ Rev 103(1):220–256CrossRef
Caplin A, Dean M (2015) Revealed preference, rational inattention, and costly information acquisition. Am Econ Rev 105(7):2183–2203CrossRef
Carroll J, Denny E, Lyons S (2016) The effects of energy cost labelling on appliance purchasing decisions: trial results from Ireland. J Consum Policy 39(1):23–40CrossRef
Chandler SJ, Brown MA (2009) Meta-review of efficiency potential studies and their implications for the South. Georgia Tech Ivan College of Public Policy Working Paper 51
Cohen F, Glachant M, Söderberg M (2017) Consumer myopia, imperfect competition and the energy efficiency gap: evidence from the UK refrigerator market. Eur Econ Rev 93:1–23CrossRef
Coller M, Williams MB (1999) Eliciting individual discount rates. Exp Econ 2(2):107–127CrossRef
Davis LW, Metcalf GE (2016) Does better information lead to better choices? Evidence from energy-efficiency labels. JAERE 3(3):589–625
DEFRA (2010) Behavioural economics and energy using products: scoping research on discounting behaviour and consumer reference points. DEFRA Research Report
Enzler HB, Diekmann A, Meyer R (2014) Subjective discount rates in the general population and their predictive power for energy saving behavior. Energy Policy 65:524–540CrossRef
Epper T, Fehr-Duda H, Schubert R (2011) Energy-using durables: the role of time discounting in investment decisions. IED Working Paper 16
Franzen A, Vogl D (2013) Time preferences and environmental concern. Int J Sociol 43(4):39–62CrossRef
Gately D (1980) Individual discount rates and the purchase and utilization of energy-using durables: comment. Bell J Econ 11(1):373–374CrossRef
Gerarden T, Newell RG, Stavins RN (2015) Assessing the energy-efficiency gap. NBER Working Paper 20904
Gillingham K, Palmer K (2014) Bridging the energy efficiency gap: policy insights from economic theory and empirical evidence. Rev Environ Econ Policy 8(1):18–38CrossRef
Granade HC, Creyts J, Derkach A, Farese P, Nyquist S, Ostrowski K (2009) Unlocking energy efficiency in the U.S. economy. McKinsey & Company, Milton, Vermont
Greening LA, Greene DL, Difiglio C (2000) Energy efficiency and consumption – the rebound effect – a survey. Energy Policy 28:389–401CrossRef
Hassett KA, Metcalf GE (1993) Energy conservation investment: do consumers discount the future correctly? Energy Policy 21(6):710–716CrossRef
Hausman JA (1979) Individual discount rates and the purchase and utilization of energy-using durables. Bell J Econ 10(1):33–54CrossRef
Howarth RB (2004) Discount rates and energy efficiency gap. In: Encyclopedia of energy, Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, Netherlands, vol 1, pp 817–822
Howarth RB, Stanstad AH (1995) Discount rates and energy efficiency. Contemp Econ Policy 13(3):101–109CrossRef
Jaffe AB, Stavins RN (1994) The energy-efficiency gap. Energy Policy 22(10):804–810CrossRef
Jaffe AB, Newell RG, Stavins RN (2004) Economics of energy efficiency. In: Encyclopedia of energy, Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, Netherlands, vol 2, pp 79–90
Lusardi A, Mitchell OS (2011) Financial literacy around the world: an overview. J Pension Econ Financ 10(4):497–508CrossRef
McKinsey & Company (2009) Pathways to a low-carbon economy: version 2 of the global greenhouse gas abatement curve. McKinsey & Company, Milton, Vermont
National Academy of Sciences (2009) Real prospects for energy efficiency in the U.S. National Academies Press, Washington, DC
Newell RG, Siikamäki J (2015) Individual time preferences and energy efficiency. Am Econ Rev 105(5):196–200CrossRef
Orne MT (1962) On the social psychology of the psychological experiment: with particular reference to demand characteristics and their implications. Am Psychol 17:776–783CrossRef
Rapson D (2014) Durable goods and long-run electricity demand: evidence from air conditioner purchase behavior. J Environ Econ Manag 68(1):141–160CrossRef
Rohling M, SchubertR (2013) Energy labels for household appliances and their disclosure format: a literature review. IED Working Paper 21
Rosenfeld A, Atkinson C, Koomey J, Meier A, Mowris RJ, Price L (1993) Conserved energy supply curves for U.S. buildings. Contemp Policy Issues 11(1):45–68CrossRef
Sallee JM (2014) Rational inattention and energy efficiency. J Law Econ 57(3):781–820CrossRef
Schleich J, Gassmann X, Faure C, Meissner T (2016) Making the implicit explicit: a look inside the implicit discount rate. Energy Policy 97:321–331CrossRef
Soltmann C, Stucki T, Woerter M (2015) The impact of environmentally friendly innovations on value added. Environ Resour Econ 62:457–479CrossRef
Sorrell S, Dimitropoulos J, Sommerville M (2009) Empirical estimates of the direct rebound effect: a review. Energy Policy 37(4):1356–1371CrossRef
Stadelmann M (2017) Mind the gap? Critically reviewing the energy efficiency gap with empirical evidence. Energy Res Soc Sci 27:117–128CrossRef
Stadelmann M, Schubert R (2018) How do different designs of energy labels influence purchases of household appliances? A field study in Switzerland. Ecol Econ 144:112–123CrossRef
Train K (1985) Discount rates in consumers’ energy-related decisions: a review of the literature. Energy 10(12):1243–1253CrossRef
Tsvetanov T, Segerson K (2014) The welfare effects of energy efficiency standards when choice sets matter. J Assoc Environ Resour Econ 1(1/2):233–271
Waechter S, Sütterlin B, Siegrist M (2015) Desired and undesired effects of energy labels – an eye-tracking study. PLoS One 10(7):1–26CrossRef
Metadata
Title
Energy Efficiency Gap in Switzerland: An Empirical Study on Online Purchases of White Goods
Author
Marcel Stadelmann
Copyright Year
2021
Publisher
Springer Singapore
Book
Sustainability and Environmental Decision Making

Print ISBN: 978-981-15-9286-7

Electronic ISBN: 978-981-15-9287-4

Copyright Year: 2021

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9287-4_12