Barriers to Energy Efficiency: An Empirical Study

The aim of this work is to study barriers to the development of the markets for energy efficient products and services, used in the residential and commercial sectors. The study was conducted by personal interview with a small group of respondents using a structured questionnaire containing both open and semi-open questions and the evaluation questions, the answers to which are presented in Likert scale. The questions of this survey are designed to identify and measure the main indirect barriers of diffusion of new energy-efficient technologies of mass demand. The study was conducted in three regions - Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk and Primorsky regions (Krai), with a sample of 657 respondents. Processing results of the survey was carried out using mainly the methods of nonparametric statistics: Spearman and Kendall rank correlation, non-parametric Mann-Whitney and Kruskall-Wallis test, cross-tabulation. The study revealed significant regional differences in the level of environmental awareness of the respondents, their assessments of the effectiveness of public policies to stimulate the introduction of energy saving and renewable energy technologies, as well as the level of awareness and knowledge assessments in the community on energy conservation. Furthermore, a significant latent demand for energy-efficient equipment and technologies, applicable in apartment buildings, was revealed. The satisfaction of this demand could be a growth-point for domestic manufacturers of innovative energy-efficient equipment.