BECaUSE ‑ Behavioral factors in change of residential energy use

Adopting a more sustainable lifestyle is highly necessary given the threat of global climate change. Within the project BECaUSE methods are studied for promoting behavior change towards residential energy conservation.

The general aim of the project is to contribute to an increased understanding of behavior change in adopting a more sustainable lifestyle, by analyzing the effects of an intervention on energy conservation based on behavior-focused techniques, and the way values and attitudes predict the capacity of behavior change.

This aim is specified into two research questions: (1) To what extent can psychological behavior focused techniques, like feedback and reinforcement, in the short- and long-term perspective change objective measurable energy using behaviors towards residential energy conservation? (2) To what extent are six psychological factors, value orientations, awareness of consequences, environmental concern, moral judgment competence, locus of control and sense of coherencerelated to an achieved capacity for a reduction of residential energy use?

Contact person

Kerstin Weimer

Co-researcher

Richard Ahlström
Francisco Esteves