Reducing energy demand in the household sector – the policy challenge Dr. Corinna Fischer BEHAVE 2014 University of Oxford, 3-4 Sept 2014

2 Policy Context ● The German „Energy Roadmap“: Energy savings goals Energy saving policy challenge │Dr. Corinna Fischer│BEHAVE, Oxford│Sep 3, 2014 Primary EnergyBuildingsElectricityTransport HeatPrimary Energy Final Energy By % -10% By %-80%-25%-40% ● Heated discussion on the cost of renewable electricity ● Complementary study: „Policy scenarios for climate protection“; focusing on efficiency policies ● …and personal context: Staff at German Environmental Agency with an affinity to the degrowth community

3 A special project… Funded by the Ministry of the Environment, run by the German Environmental Agency The goal: to develop a policy toolbox for lowering energy consumption in households (and not just: increasing efficiency) Cross-cutting perspective over various need areas Interdisciplinary Sufficiency policies Energy saving policy challenge │Dr. Corinna Fischer│BEHAVE, Oxford│Sep 3, 2014

4 …and its details Runs from May 2013 to November 2014 Budget: EUR Oeko Institut e.V. and IREES GmbH Goal: To identify energy conservation measures and develop supportive policy instruments for the household sector across four need areas: ‒ Housing ‒ Appliances ‒ Transport ‒ Food (grey energy) Energy saving policy challenge │Dr. Corinna Fischer│BEHAVE, Oxford│Sep 3, 2014

5 Select activities Tasks Ggf. Bildquelle hier angebenEnergy saving policy challenge │Dr. Corinna Fischer│BEHAVE, Oxford│Sep 3, 2014 Hinweis zur Textbox „Vortragstitel etc.“: Neuen Text über das Menü „Einfügen“ / „Kopf- und Fußzeile“ einfügen, Häkchen setzen und für alle Folien übernehmen. So muss der Text nur ein einziges Mal eingegeben werden. Der Text wird aber nach Aktualisierung einzeilig dargestellt und muss manuell umgebrochen werden. Hinweis zum Bildtausch: Bild mit der Maus markieren, dann rechte Maustaste drücken und „Bild ändern“ wählen. Neues Bild auf dem Laufwerk auswählen und einfügen. Es wird nun an der Stelle des vorhandenen Bildes eingefügt und kann/muss dann noch etwas in der Größe verändert werden. Hinweis zur Platzhalterbox in der Fußzeile: Hier können Anmerkungen, Quellen oder Fußnoten platziert werden

6 Our activities (chosen from ~100 candidates) Energy saving policy challenge │Dr. Corinna Fischer│BEHAVE, Oxford│Sep 3, 2014 Housing ● Reducing per capita living space ● Reducing hot water use ● Reducing room temperature ● Low-investive activities to reduce heating energy (e.g. thermostat valves) ● Automation Housing ● Reducing per capita living space ● Reducing hot water use ● Reducing room temperature ● Low-investive activities to reduce heating energy (e.g. thermostat valves) ● Automation Appliances ● Cutback on redundant equipment ● Limitation of individual appliances‘ energy consumption ● Changed user behaviour ● Highly efficient appliances ● Low-investive activities (e.g. use of timers) Appliances ● Cutback on redundant equipment ● Limitation of individual appliances‘ energy consumption ● Changed user behaviour ● Highly efficient appliances ● Low-investive activities (e.g. use of timers) ● Squares: First selection; bold: second selection Mobility ● Smaller passenger cars ● Increased bicycle use ● Reduced private air traffic ● Telemeetings ● Automation Mobility ● Smaller passenger cars ● Increased bicycle use ● Reduced private air traffic ● Telemeetings ● Automation Food ● Higher share of organic food ● Reduced meat consumption ● Reduced food waste Food ● Higher share of organic food ● Reduced meat consumption ● Reduced food waste

7 More cycling Long distance cycling path network Standard speed of 30 km/h in cities Reduction of per capita living space Tax on inhabited area „One stop shop“ to support moving Reduced meat Feedstuff tax Our policy instruments Energy saving policy challenge │Dr. Corinna Fischer│BEHAVE, Oxford│Sep 3, 2014 Increased organic Obligatory organic share in public canteens Reduced food waste Producer- retailer networks Smaller passenger cars Reform of company car taxation Limitation appliance energy consumption Feebate system Appliances - crosscutting Electricity sales cap Cutback on redundant Scrapping premium

8 Example: „One stop shop“ to facilitate moving for the elderly When children leave home, elderly people often stay alone in big homes that are difficult to manage and consume a lot of energy If people moved to a smaller dwelling, they could save effort and energy, and the bigger dwellings could be used by families => less need for new construction Barriers to moving ‒ Attached to the family home ‒ Social networks in the neigbourhood ‒ Space needed for possessions ‒ No suitable new dwelling available ‒ New dwelling would be expensive ‒ Too complicated to find new dwelling ‒ Too complicated to move Energy saving policy challenge │Dr. Corinna Fischer│BEHAVE, Oxford│Sep 3, 2014

9 Example: „One stop shop“ to facilitate moving for the elderly When children leave home, elderly people often stay alone in big homes that are difficult to manage and consume a lot of energy If people moved to a smaller dwelling, they could save effort and energy Barriers to moving ‒ Attached to the family home ‒ Social networks in the neigbourhood ‒ Space needed for possessions ‒ No suitable new dwelling available ‒ New dwelling would be expensive ‒ Too complicated to find new dwelling ‒ Too complicated to move Energy saving policy challenge │Dr. Corinna Fischer│BEHAVE, Oxford│Sep 3, 2014

10 The One Stop Shop is a single address, so people to not have to contact various authorities / organisations helps with ‒ finding a suitable dwelling, including organizing reconstruction work, if necessary ‒ financing the new dwelling; including arranging loans and assisting in receiving subsidies for necessary renovation / reconstruction ‒ selling the old dwelling ‒ organizing the move, including sale / giveaway / disposal of unneeded possessions acts as a broker between advice seekers, property owners, real estate agents, public authorities and services, relocation companies, banks, subsidizing agencies… may also help, as an alternative, with sharing / (sub)letting the current dwelling, including organizing necessary reconstruction is ideally combined with ‒ a programme to finance the move for the needy (subsidies, micro-credits) ‒ a programme to finance the conversion of big dwellings into smaller ones Energy saving policy challenge │Dr. Corinna Fischer│BEHAVE, Oxford│Sep 3, 2014

11 Ex-ante evaluation Will the instrument be sufficiently known among the target group? Yes, if ‒ sufficient outreach activities are organised ‒ people are addressed at an appropriate point in their lives, e.g. between 60 and 70 Will the instrument indeed motivate people to move? ‒ Probably, see success of existing housing advice centers Will the moves indeed save energy and GHG? ‒ Individual level: probably ‒ Societal level: if bigger dwellings are used by families, and need for new construction is reduced ‒ Size of the target group: 10,7 million households over 65 years; share of households in „big“ homes to be determined Limitations of the instrument ‒ No available or affordable smaller dwellings ‒ Higher expenses after a move (e.g. people with old rental contracts or payed-off homes) ‒ Personal reasons (attachment to house, possessions, neighbours, or area) Energy saving policy challenge │Dr. Corinna Fischer│BEHAVE, Oxford│Sep 3, 2014

12 Experiences with the project Extremely difficult to quantify savings Circular process Fruitful interdisciplinary work Brings together different departments in the authority Interest of the authority in extending the project (deeper analysis of policy instruments) Implementation??? Energy saving policy challenge │Dr. Corinna Fischer│BEHAVE, Oxford│Sep 3, 2014

13 Energy saving policy challenge │Dr. Corinna Fischer│BEHAVE, Oxford│Sep 3, 2014 Contact Dr. Corinna Fischer Senior Researcher Öko-Institut e.V. Geschäftsstelle Freiburg Postfach Freiburg Telefon:

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