Making choices about household heating Investigating socio-behavioural barriers to energy efficiency Hayley Vujcich Masters of Environmental Studies SGEES Victoria University of Wellington

Thesis topic ● How people perceive their energy use through looking at household heating  sustainable behaviour and consumption  what issues are pertinent to people ● Previous work in identifying barriers to change  MfE's Warm Homes project  EnergyWise home grants

Housing and heating in New Zealand - background ● Poor heating record  one room heating  toughing it... ● Low energy use compared to similar countries  30% less than Australia, 50% less than UK  Lowest per capita consumption in OECD  Around 30% goes on space heating ● Health effects  Temperature for a healthy home: WHO: 18-21°C NZ average: 17.3°C

Background continued… ● Household carbon eq. emissions ~9% of total energy sector (Melhuish, 2007) ● Energy related GHG emissions set to increase by 30% in 50 years (MED, 2006) ● Home energy use/heating tensions  Sustainability  Climate change  Security of supply  Health  Cultural identities  Comfort

Housing, Heating and Health Study (HHHS) ● Otago University School of Medicine  examine effects of temperature and indoor pollutants on children's health ● 412 households in Lower Hutt, Porirua, Christchurch, Dunedin, Bluff ● Retrofitting houses with new heaters ● Data: respiratory symptoms recorded, householder surveys, air quality and temperature… ● Me: WTP/WTA data, factors in heater choice

Aim and objectives Aim Provide an understanding of the socio-behavioural barriers to energy efficiency through looking at how people are thinking household heating choices. Objectives 1. Analyse people’s willingness to pay for home heaters. 2. Explore perceptions of socio-behavioural barriers to the uptake of more energy efficient technology and behaviours. 3. Identify what issues people are linking to their household heating choices. 4. Investigate the role of information in household heating choices.

Conceptual Framework Behavioural economics ● Informed by psychology ● Recognises that people are rationally bounded ● Acknowledges  social norms, role of other's behaviour  role of habits  heuristics and difficultly at computing Transfer of technology ● barriers to change – economic, socio-economic/behavioural, technological

IPCC Working Group III, 2001

Methodology ● Not yet concrete! ● Parallel parts to paper  Analysis of WTP HHHS data  Focus group research  Survey  Follow up HHHS participants Part 1 – understand value Part 2 – investigate barriers

1. WTP/A from HHHS ● WTP - non-market valuation ● Average WTP vs heater price ● WTP – WTA differences  WTA data from Intervention group ● Analysis  demographic data  Q17 and Q18 – rating importance of factors in choosing heater type

2. Focus group and survey ● Investigating internal barriers to energy efficiency:  Knowledge ● what people know about their energy use ● what issues that connect it with ● awareness of problems  Attitudes and beliefs ● role these play in problem and solution  Information ● how do people learn/seek information ● who do they trust

What this all is hoping to achieve ● Looking towards policy advice...  what people listen to  who they listen to  how people can be provided with more useful information ● Looking at environmental behaviour change and understandings  how people can be supported to make more sustainable, healthier residential energy choices