ICT entertainment appliances’ impact on domestic electricity consumption

Increased electricity consumption and environmental impacts of Information Communication Technology (ICT) have been subjects of research since the 1990s. This paper focuses on consumer electronics in households, in particular TVs, computers and their peripherals. ICT accounts for almost 15% of global domestic electricity use, including waste energy from devices left on standby which is estimated in the EU-27 to contribute 6% of residential energy demand. In Europe, the household electricity consumption from small electronic appliances, including ICT, increased by 2.5 times in 2011 compared to 1990. Similarly, in the UK, energy demand from electronic devices accounted for 23% of total household electricity use in 2012, compared to 12% in 1990. This is an outcome of the market saturation of new, cheaper ICT entertainment devices, facilitated by marketing strategies which identify new needs for consumers, as charted by the review of market growth in this paper. New increasingly portable laptops, smart phones and tablets with wireless connectivity allow householders to perform a wider range of activities in a wider range of locations throughout the home, such as social networking while the television is active. We suggest that policies which consider how to increase the energy efficiency of ICT devices alone are unlikely to be successful since effective strategies need to address how the drivers which have developed around the use of ICT can be adapted in order to conserve electricity in households. A range of policy solutions are discussed, including feedback, public information campaigns, environmental education, energy labelling, bans of, or taxation on the least efficient products as well as the use of a TV as central hub to perform the existing functions of multiple devices

Linking energy behaviour, attitude and habits, and social practices with environmental predisposition and knowledge:what are the factors with influence on environmental behaviour?

This research aims to understand which factors influence environmental behaviour in order to contribute to the existing theory and practice which is focused on individuals' energy consuming behaviour. As a first step, this thesis reviews existing up-to-date literature related to individual household energy consumption. The how and why individual behaviour affects the energy use are discussed, together with the principles and perspectives which have so far been considered in order to explain the habitual consuming behaviour. The research gaps, which are revealed from previous studies in terms of the limitations or assumptions of the methodology with respect to altering individuals’ energy usage, give insights for a conceptual framework to define a comprehensive approach which attempts to contribute to existing theory. The proposed framework suggests that the individual energy perception gaps are affected by psychological, habitual, structural and cultural variables in a wider-contextual (i.e. national scale), meso-societal and micro-individual spectrum. All these factors need to be considered in order for a variety of combined intervention methods, which are discussed and recommended, to introduce a more effective shift of the conventional energy consuming behaviour, advancing insights for successful energy policies. Furthermore, this thesis presents and discusses the findings of an empirical study which compares individuals’ environmental predisposition and knowledge with their: (a) energy behaviour, attitude and habits; and (b) social practices related to the use and ownership of appliances. This study also attempts to correlate education level and household income with the above variables. The investigation is based on a survey of 68 employees of an educational institution, corresponding to a medium-sized enterprise, which was selected as the first phase of research aiming to compare energy saving behaviour at home and in the workplace. The current study relates only to the domestic aspects of this work attempting to contribute to existing practice by presenting a detailed evaluation of pro-environmental behaviour which can be applied to similar studies while considering different demographics. In particular, the sample of this study is composed of a relatively highly educated and professional population. The statistical analysis reveals significant correlations between environmental value and knowledge and elements of individuals’ energy attitudes, habits and behaviour. The respondents’ predisposition and attitudes is further correlated with social practices associated with domestic appliances. No significant correlations were established to demonstrate that education level may influence environmental predisposition and knowledge, energy saving attitudes, habits and behaviours however, given the nature of the population sample, this is not surprising. An unanticipated outcome from the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was that household income, and to a lesser extent gender, are associated with energy saving habits and behaviours. On further investigation, household income was found to be correlated with knowledge of greenhouse gas emissions and the number of laptops and electric showers owned per household. Conversely, a relationship between individuals’ energy habits and household consumption practices was not indicated by significant correlations

Linking energy behaviour, attitude and habits with environmental predisposition and knowledge

The purpose of this paper is to present and discuss the findings of an empirical study that compares individuals' environmental predisposition and knowledge with their energy behaviour, attitude and habits. Additionally, the study attempts to correlate education level and household income with the above variables. The statistical analysis reveals significant correlations between environmental predisposition and knowledge and elements of individuals' energy attitudes, habits and behaviour. An unanticipated outcome from the principal component analysis was that household income, and to a lesser extent gender, is associated with energy-saving habits and behaviours. On further investigation, household income was found to be correlated with knowledge of greenhouse gas emissions and the number of laptops and electric showers owned per household. The study sample comprises 68 employees of an educational institution, which was selected as the first phase of research aiming to compare energy-saving behaviour at home and in the workplace

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

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