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Shall I open the window? Policy implications of thermal-comfort adjustment practices in residential buildings

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  • Galassi, Veronica
  • Madlener, Reinhard

Abstract

In Germany, policy-makers are not achieving the results expected from the implementation of energy-saving policies in buildings. In fact, energy retrofit of residential dwellings, ceteris paribus, results in a new socio-technical system characterized by higher room temperatures. In the new environment, individuals might change their type of interaction with the building and exert a certain level of effort to adapt to the new comfort situation depending on their previous practices. Some of the new practices, such as opening the window when it is too warm, might explain why energy-saving policies in buildings are not leading to the desired results. In this paper, by means of a Discrete Choice Experiment conducted among 3161 tenants and owner-occupiers in Germany, we investigate preferences for practices implemented to adjust thermal comfort in retrofitted buildings. Our results reveal a mix of behaviors in response to energy retrofits, some of which may offset energy savings (e.g. tilting the window) while others have more benign effects (e.g. wearing lighter clothes).

Suggested Citation

  • Galassi, Veronica & Madlener, Reinhard, 2018. "Shall I open the window? Policy implications of thermal-comfort adjustment practices in residential buildings," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 518-527.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:119:y:2018:i:c:p:518-527
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2018.03.015
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    Cited by:

    1. Xu, Xiaoxiao & Yu, Hao & Sun, Qiuwen & Tam, Vivian W.Y., 2023. "A critical review of occupant energy consumption behavior in buildings: How we got here, where we are, and where we are headed," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    2. Peñasco, Cristina & Anadón, Laura Díaz, 2023. "Assessing the effectiveness of energy efficiency measures in the residential sector gas consumption through dynamic treatment effects: Evidence from England and Wales," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    3. Heesen, Florian & Madlener, Reinhard, 2021. "Revisiting heat energy consumption modeling: Household production theory applied to field experimental data," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    4. Jasiński, Tomasz, 2020. "Use of new variables based on air temperature for forecasting day-ahead spot electricity prices using deep neural networks: A new approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 213(C).
    5. Li, X. & Arbabi, H. & Bennett, G. & Oreszczyn, T. & Densley Tingley, D., 2022. "Net zero by 2050: Investigating carbon-budget compliant retrofit measures for the English housing stock," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    6. Moeller, Simon & Bauer, Amelie, 2022. "Energy (in)efficient comfort practices: How building retrofits influence energy behaviours in multi-apartment buildings," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).

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