Environmental knowledge, pro-environmental behaviour and energy savings in households: An empirical study

Highlights

• Environmental values and energy saving in households are positively correlated.

• Environmental knowledge and household energy saving are positively correlated.

• Household energy saving is linked to gender and employment status.

Abstract

In this paper we evaluate the impact of knowledge about environmental and energy issues on potential pro-environmental behaviour in households, specifically relating to behaviours, attitudes and habits towards energy use. Our results are based on an empirical survey and we find significant correlations which indicate that residents with positive environmental values and greater environmental knowledge are more likely to demonstrate energy behaviours, attitudes and habits which lead to energy saving activities in households. This is further supported through a Principal Component Analysis (PCA), which suggests that energy saving behaviour may also vary according to gender and employment status. Conversely, we find only limited evidence of statistical associations between environmental predisposition and knowledge, and ownership and frequency of use of household appliances. We argue that our results contribute to the significant body of literature supporting the role of knowledge in active engagement with energy issues. This study is timely following closely policy developments in active consumer engagement by the European Commission.

Introduction

Energy consumption in households comprises over a quarter of total energy use in the UK [1]. Human behaviour is one of the main factors that can influence domestic energy consumption, together with the physical properties of the dwelling, climate, number and demographic profile of occupants, household income, lifestyle, and appliance ownership and use [2], [3], [4], [5]. Indeed, variation in residents’ behaviour can cause significant differences in energy consumption between dwellings with otherwise similar characteristics (e.g. household size, income, and building energy performance) [3], [6]. It is therefore important to understand influences upon behaviour in households as these in turn have implications for domestic energy use. In this respect, strategies to stimulate pro-environmental behaviour represent one means of modifying behaviour in households in order to promote energy conservation and reduce environmental impact [7].

Pro-environmental behaviour is a form of environmental action that ‘consciously seeks to minimize the negative impact of one’s actions on the natural and built world’ [8, p.240], and ‘only refers to those personal actions that are directly related to environmental improvement’ [9, p.325]. Such environmental actions can be performed individually or collectively, and may be direct or indirect in their approach to mitigating harm to, and improving, the environment [9]. Pro-environmental behaviours can also be influenced by internal factors such as environmental awareness, values and attitudes [10] and external factors such as social norms, interaction with other individuals and financial constraints [11], [12].

In this study we assess how environmental knowledge influences pro-environmental behaviour in households. We establish and confirm links between knowledge about the environment and energy, actions on energy conservation and attitudes towards these actions through the analysis of empirical survey data. This paper strengthens the literature on environmental and energy knowledge and action and we argue that the results are useful to policy makers, green marketing, and other parties who are interested in enhancing pro-environmental behaviour.

A number of studies contend that people with greater environmental knowledge are more likely to behave responsibly in order to protect the environment, while this positive effect on pro-environmental behaviour may be constrained by cultural factors [11], [13]. This is further supported by Zsóka et al., who argue that environmental knowledge and pro-environmental behaviour are self-reinforcing, for example when people search for information on environmental issues [14].

Conversely, it has also been contended that high levels of individual environmental knowledge may not necessarily lead to the development of positive environmental attitudes [15]. For instance, while increased environmental awareness and concern may result from advanced environmental knowledge, this may not be sufficient to induce pro-environmental behaviour [14], [16]. Moreover, Bartiaux [17] and Oguz et al. [18] did not identify a significant correlation between knowledge of environmental issues and pro-environmental behaviour [17], [18].

This paper presents empirical research based on a survey of 249 households in two parishes located in Peterborough. The study focuses on assessing the influence of individuals’ values and knowledge on pro-environmental behaviour associated with household energy consumption. This can inform strategies to reduce excessive residential energy use through interventions such as information provision which aim to influence occupants’ energy behaviour.

The aim of this study is to test the relationship between household occupants’ environmental predisposition and knowledge versus their (i) energy behaviour, attitudes and habits; (ii) ownership and frequency of use of household appliances. The latter is supported by detailed data from the survey on a range of different household appliances. Additionally, the statistical analysis assesses the influence of demographics, i.e. gender and employment on all of the above variables. In terms of the sample demographics, the findings are broadly generalizable to the population of England with respect to gender, proportion of full-time employees and residents living in semi-detached houses. Nevertheless, the study sample is characterised by a high proportion of retired people and respondents living in either bungalows or detached dwellings and therefore the conclusions apply to these demographics specifically.

The importance of studying retired households is underlined in the literature which suggests that older people of retirement age have higher household occupancy rates and therefore tend to consume energy in the home for longer periods of time [19]. However, while it has been shown that in the UK, retired households spend a greater proportion of their disposable income on energy in the home, non-retired households spend more money on household fuel in absolute terms [20]. Moreover, the link between older residents and their level of household energy consumption compared to younger residents depends on many factors including their health, income and lifestyle [21]. Finally, retired people also tend to be intensive users of Information Communication Technology (ICT) systems because of their abundance of free time and need for company [22].

This paper is structured as follows. Sections 2 Methodology, 3 Data outline the methodological approach to the survey and statistical analysis respectively. The findings of this empirical study are presented in Section 4 and are evaluated against the literature on household energy behaviour, considering how individuals’ environmental predisposition and knowledge influence their pro-environmental behaviour in terms of household energy use. The final section reflects on the implications of the findings for policy and strategies to manage residential energy use.