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The public-private divide in household behavior: How far into home can energy guidance reach?

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  • Palm, Jenny

Abstract

Environmental problems in the energy system often originate from everyday activities and choices. Everyday activities in the home are part of the private sphere that can be contested in relation to energy policies. This article discusses the public-private divide in energy policies and how Swedish municipal energy consultants understand the divide. By analyzing the actions of energy consultants and their efforts to influence households, as well as how households perceive this guidance, I will discuss the public-private discourse in relation to energy policy and how this discourse can be a restriction for the energy consultants to reach their full potential. The consultants found it problematic to discuss behavioral issues because they did not know how to relate to people's everyday life activities without intruding on private and personal matters. For the households tailored information and feedback was not perceived as the consultant trespassing in the private sphere. Instead, the householders highlight the possibilities of such mapping. Lessoned learned from Sweden is that state subsidies to local energy consultants is a good way to reach households, but that they need to develop their methods and use more tailored information.

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  • Palm, Jenny, 2010. "The public-private divide in household behavior: How far into home can energy guidance reach?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(6), pages 2858-2864, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:38:y:2010:i:6:p:2858-2864
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Feser, Daniel & Bizer, Kilian & Rudolph-Cleff, Annette & Schulze, Joachim, 2016. "Energy audits in a private firm environment: Energy efficiency consultants' cost calculation for innovative technologies in the housing sector," University of Göttingen Working Papers in Economics 275, University of Goettingen, Department of Economics.
    2. Komatsu, Hidenori & Nishio, Ken-ichiro, 2015. "An experimental study on motivational change for electricity conservation by normative messages," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 35-43.
    3. Camara, N’Famory & Xu, Deyi & Binyet, Emmanuel, 2018. "Enhancing household energy consumption: How should it be done?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 81(P1), pages 669-681.
    4. Mignon, Ingrid & Winberg, Lisa, 2023. "The role of public energy advising in sustainability transitions – empirical evidence from Sweden," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    5. Are E. Kjeang & Jenny Palm & G. Venkatesh, 2017. "Local Energy Advising in Sweden: Historical Development and Lessons for Future Policy-Making," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-13, December.
    6. Áron Perényi & Rowan E. Bedggood & Denny Meyer & Phillip Bedggood & Karen Farquharson & Clare Johansson & Gina Milgate, 2019. "Exploring the Effectiveness of an Energy Efficiency Behaviour Change Project on Well-Being Outcomes for Indigenous Households in Australia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-18, April.
    7. Ellegård, Kajsa & Palm, Jenny, 2011. "Visualizing energy consumption activities as a tool for making everyday life more sustainable," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(5), pages 1920-1926, May.
    8. Frits Meijer & Ad Straub & Erwin Mlecnik, 2018. "Consultancy Centres and Pop-Ups as Local Authority Policy Instruments to Stimulate Adoption of Energy Efficiency by Homeowners," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-14, August.
    9. Laura Abrardi, 2019. "Behavioral barriers and the energy efficiency gap: a survey of the literature," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 46(1), pages 25-43, March.
    10. Mahapatra, Krushna & Nair, Gireesh & Gustavsson, Leif, 2011. "Swedish energy advisers' perceptions regarding and suggestions for fulfilling homeowner expectations," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(7), pages 4264-4273, July.
    11. Lu, Hui & Liu, Xia & Chen, Hong & Long, Ruyin & Yue, Ting, 2017. "Who contributed to “corporation green” in China? A view of public- and private-sphere pro-environmental behavior among employees," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 166-175.
    12. Kajsa Ellegård & Jenny Palm, 2015. "Who Is Behaving? Consequences for Energy Policy of Concept Confusion," Energies, MDPI, vol. 8(8), pages 1-20, July.

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