Before and After a Home Energy Audit: Changes to Consumption Behaviour Michelle Grace Scott Behave Energy Conference 2014 Kā Rakahau o Te Ao Tūroa Centre for Sustainability Agriculture  Food  Energy  Environment

Our Objectives Drier homes Warmer homes More energy efficient homes

Average Temperatures SummerWinter Dunedin15.3 °C6.6 °C Oxford16.4 °C3.6 °C

Housing Situation New Zealand’s relatively poor housing stock A lot of Dunedin houses are damp, single glazed with inadequate insulation Strategies such as energy feedback may not be appropriate Goal is to use energy more efficiently and be warmer & drier rather than overall consumption reduction

Intervention Home Energy Audits – Expert advisor – Personalised tailored advice – Not common in NZ – Uptake was difficult

Research Questions How the home energy audit affects: Energy awareness and energy literacy Behaviour around energy in their homes Social norms around energy issues

The Energy Cultures Framework Energy practices Norms Material culture

“Material culture” Material culture Heating devices Energy sources InsulationHouse structure

“Energy practices” Energy practices Turning on heater Putting on jersey Maintaining heating technologies Drawing curtains

“Norms and Aspirations” Norms and aspirations Social aspirations Environmental concern Expected warmth levels Maintaining traditions

Material culture Energy practices Norms and aspirations Have The Energy Cultures Framework

Material culture Energy practices Norms and aspirations Have The Energy Cultures Framework Do

Material culture Energy practices Norms and aspirations Have Think Do The Energy Cultures Framework

Method Pre survey (behaviours, knowledge, social norms, material culture) Home Energy Audit Post survey (behaviours, knowledge, social norms, material culture) < 1 week 4-6 months

Motivations “We would like to find out what we can do to keep in heat and run our house energy efficiently” “In our house we are either cold in the cool months or we spend a great deal trying to heat the space. We'd like to be warmer with less cost and waste.” “I am interested in sustainability and would like to not waste much energy. I like to keep my costs low on long term and do like low tech approaches.”

Demographics IncomeHousing Percentage Everyone who had audit lived in a separate house, with average of 8 rooms

Pre Audit Measures AreaNSave Money Save Environment Blueskin (.98)4.19 (1.21) North East Valley (.74)4.64 (.66) AreaNKnowledge Blueskin (1.36) North East Valley (0.92) No differences between suburbs on knowledge or reasons to change energy consumption

Pre-Audit Measures No significant differences between suburbs on their material culture AreaNMaterials Blueskin (1.36) North East Valley (0.92)

Energy Use After Audit How energy use has changed since audit Percentage More efficient38.1% Energy use hasn’t changed23.8% More frugal16.7% Make my home more comfortable16.7% Use as much as I want2.4%

Energy Literacy No significant differences on energy literacy before and after audit NMean (maximum 1) Pre-audit (0.20) Post-audit (0.24)

Practices Dry your laundry outside Do the laundry on cold wash settings Pull the curtains at night Turn appliances off at the wall (not just leave them on standby) Reduce heating in unoccupied rooms

Practices After the audit, more people reported practicing energy efficient behaviours (t (19) = -2.69, p = <0.05) NMean (max 5) Pre-audit (0.31) Post-audit (0.37)

Materials How much of your floor is covered with good quality, heavy duty carpet? What proportion of your windows have well fitted and heavy curtains/drapes? In what proportion of your home do you have energy saving lights?

Material Changes After the audit, more people reported having improved their material culture NMean (max 5) Pre-audit (0.64) Post-audit (0.51) (t (19) = -4.58, p = <0.01)

Household Changes “Installed pelmets and lined the curtains. Installed under floor insulation.” “Increased amount of insulation - much more to do. Investigated and still working on ways to harness sun's energy to improve inside temperature.” “New thick curtains in bedrooms. New fireplace. Ceiling insulation. Turning more things off at the wall.”

How helpful were these organisations/people? Information sourceMean helpfulness rating (max 5) Sustainability community groups4.23 Tradespeople4.00 Friends and family3.91 Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority 3.91 Internet3.88 TV3.46 Colleagues3.40 Power company2.95 Newspapers2.85

Influencing Others “Yes, I have older children in their own homes and I have taught them things that I learnt.” “Have passed on some thicker curtains to other residents.” “I have shown people my windows and told friends about the positive effect. Some are now interested in doing more research on filling the draft gaps and double glazing.”

Conclusions Audits helped to change practices Audits also led to changes in material culture Audit encouraged people to discuss energy changes with others Can be effective way of encouraging change in overall energy culture

Thank You Behave Energy Conference 2014 Kā Rakahau o Te Ao Tūroa Centre for Sustainability Agriculture  Food  Energy  Environment