Household adoption of energy and water-efficient appliances: An analysis of attitudes, labelling and complementary green behaviours in selected OECD countries

To Dieu-Hang*, R. Quentin Grafton, Roberto Martínez-Espiñeira, Maria Garcia-Valiñas

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    56 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Using a household-based data set of more than 12,000 households from 11 OECD countries, we analyse the factors underlying the decision by households to adopt energy-efficient and water-efficient equipment. We evaluate the roles of both attitudes and labelling schemes on the adoption of energy and water-efficient equipment, and also the interaction and complementarity between energy and water conservation behaviours. Our findings show: one, ‘green’ social norms and favourable attitudes towards the environment are associated with an increased likelihood of households’ adoption of energy and water-efficient appliances; two, households’ purchase decisions are positively affected by their awareness, understanding, and trust of labelling schemes; and three, there is evidence of complementarity between energy conservation and water conservation behaviours.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)140-150
    Number of pages11
    JournalJournal of Environmental Management
    Volume197
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 15 Jul 2017

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