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BEHAVE Energy Conference, 3-4 Sept 2014, Oxford
Does installing loft insulation encourage, or
inhibit, other energy-saving behaviours? Behavioural spillover and
rebound effects in home energy use
Lorraine Whitmarsh1, Wouter Poortinga2, Christine Suffolk2, Alison Howard3 & Haydn Cullen-Jones4
1School of Psychology, Cardiff University; 2Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University; 3Monmouthshire County Council;
4Transition Monmouth
Insulation uptake and links to other EE behaviours
• Installing insulation is amongst most effective ways of saving energy– 53% of household carbon emissions due to space heating (HM Govt, 2006)
• Despite various government initiatives to heavily subsidise (ECO, CERT, GD, etc.), there is currently low uptake of loft or wall insulation• Barriers include price and hassle (e.g., Caird et al., 2008)
• Little also known about how installing insulation may affect energy use within the home – i.e. increased or decreased consumption– Rebound / ‘take-back’ effect, i.e. the potential for efficiency savings to be undermined by consequent increased energy use (e.g., money saved
on energy through insulation may be spent on heating the home to higher temperature; or on unrelated energy-consuming activities, e.g., travel; e.g., Herring & Sorrell, 2008)
– Behavioural spillover, i.e., taking up a new behaviour (e.g., installing insulation) may lead to adoption of additional, more environmentally beneficial, behaviours (e.g., Thøgersen, 1999)
Taking up a new environmental behaviour may lead to adoption of additional, environmentally beneficial, behaviours
• From behaviour change to lifestyle change
• Theoretical support (e.g., self-perception theory) – but no coherent theory • (Initial) empirical support (e.g., Whitmarsh & O’Neill, 2010) – mostly correlational
Behavioural Spillover
Results: 2. Spill-over effects
Component 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8Cronbach’s alpha of positive loadings 0.73 0.73 0.71 0.55 0.58 0.66 0.53 -
Installed insulation products in your home .349 .481Bought or built an energy-efficient home .649Installed a more efficient heating system .310 .572Installed a renewable energy system in your home .383 -.406Changed to a ‘green’ energy tariff for your home .534Bought a low-emission vehicleBought a product to save water .485 .316Save water by taking shorter showers .458 .506Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth .316 .610Turn off lights you’re not using .765Eat food which is organic, locally-grown or in season .349 .631Avoid eating meat .664Buy environmentally-friendly products .709Buy products with less packaging .624Recycle .555 .436Reuse or repair items … .556Compost your kitchen waste .751Write to your MP about an environmental issue .826Take part in a protest about an environmental issue .806Drive economically .705Walk, cycle or take public transport for short journeys -.566 .475Use an alternative to travelling .636Share a car journey with someone else .570Cut down on the amount you fly .392 -.422How often do you personally use a car/ van …? .820Did you take any flights in 2007 for leisure…? .832
Waste reduction (with some
energy/water conservation)
Eco-shopping and eating
Regular water & domestic
energy conservation
One-off domestic
energy conservation
actions
Eco-driving
Political actions
Reducing car use & flights
Poortinga et al., 2013
Welsh carrier bag charge – has it led to spillover?
Welsh sample pre- (Sep 2011) and post- (Apr 2012) charge (N=500)
Current project – aims and methods
• Aims: To examine:(a) motivations and barriers to uptake of loft insulation, and (b) whether insulation installation changes other behaviours, including EE (e.g., turning
off unused lights) and broader pro-environmental (e.g., water saving, recycling) behaviours.
• Method: Postal survey (N=736) of residents in three socially diverse wards in Monmouthshire, Wales, in January 2013.
• Sample: range of household and property types. Broadly representative, though skewed towards older age groups.
• Measures: attitudes to loft insulation, uptake of offers, EE and pro-environmental behaviours, environmental/EE identity*, fuel poverty, comfort, SES, property type, etc.
* 4-items: e.g., To save energy is an important part of who I am; Being environmentally friendly is an important part of who I am (α = 0.83)
Sample details
Sample details
Results: (a) Loft insulation
How widespread is loft insulation? •Most respondents (84%) already have their loft insulated (6% DK)•However, of those with loft insulation, only 44% say they have recommended level (i.e. 270mm); 25% do not know their insulation depth
What kinds of households have insulation?•Older occupants and those living in semi-detached and detached properties are more likely to have installed loft insulation•People who are living in rented accommodation are less likely to have loft insulation than owner-occupiers. Properties built before 1945 were least likely to have loft insulation*
*also lower thermal comfort and higher fuel poverty
Results: (a) Loft insulation
What are the perceived benefits and disadvantages of loft insulation?
•Benefits: to save energy and/or money, and to increase comfort in winter. Few motivated by environment; none by property values. •Disadvantages: difficulties clearing/emptying the loft, reducing available loft storage, and disruption in the home during installation.
Benefits Disadvantages
Results: (a) Loft insulation
How have insulation offers been received?•Many households (58%) had been contacted previously about receiving
free loft insulation. However, of these, only 40% had accepted the offer•Motivations (N=170): esp. increased warmth/comfort and saving money
%
Results: (a) Loft insulation
How have insulation offers been received?•Reasons for not accepting (N=206): already insulated; found (after
asses’t) did not qualify; full loft; distrust in salespeople; aggressive marketing
%
Results: (a) Loft insulation
What would encourage uptake?•Financial incentives come top, though hassle also a barrier
%
Results: (b) Spillover
What energy saving actions do households take? •Many HHs have home EE measures: e.g., 90% have low-energy light bulbs;
50% have A-rated energy appliances; only 10% have an energy monitor•Most (>80%) have thermostats, timers, and valves to control heating
system
Results: (b) Spillover
What energy saving actions do households take? •Most turn off heating/lights when not in use and only boil the kettle with
as much water as in needed (>80%). Fewer put on more clothes rather than turning the heating up (51%) or avoid energy at peak times (23%). Most respondents also used water responsibly, recycled paper, and buy products with less packaging.
•Many felt energy conscious/concerned with environmental issues
Results: (b) Spillover
Results: (b) Spillover
Results: (b) Spillover
• Loft insulation strongly related to some other EE actions: – Households with loft insulation more likely to have double glazing and draught-proofed windows
and doors – Also to save energy through behaviour change (e.g. turning off lights; boiling kettle with as much
water as needed)• Loft insulation also linked to other types of environmental behaviours (e.g. recycling and
water use)• Thus loft insulation may ‘spillover’ to other environmental behaviours (even in other
domains)• No evidence of rebound• But NB. actual energy use not measured; and correlational only
• However, it may also be possible that the results reflect differences between different (socio-demographic) groups. Relationship with other EE actions remained when controlling for environmental identity, age and tenure; but became non-sig. with other behav’s
Conclusions
• Financial and comfort benefits dominate motivations; practical barriers most cited (e.g., difficulties clearing/emptying the loft, reducing available loft storage, and disruption in the home during installation)
• High demand for loft insulation – but many HHs did not receive free installation in previous insulation schemes as did not qualify, leading to disaffection. Many also put off by aggressive marketing and rogue traders. Several had bad experiences with prior insulation schemes
• Respondents showed great enthusiasm for thermal imaging. Free thermal imaging offered to the first 100 survey respondents – several took action after seeing thermal image of their own home
• Loft insulation may encourage people to take other EE actions, but it less likely to lead to other environmental actions
Implications
• Distrust / dislike of cold calls: Contacting households personally likely to be most effective in increasing the uptake of free insulation offers
• Trust: use accredited local contractor known in area for high-quality work.
• Disaffection: schemes should not be too restrictive as being excluded from a scheme is often experienced as unfair and can lead to disaffection with EE schemes as a whole. Once trust lost, may be difficult to restore.
• Poor quality installations: need for independent quality control (e.g. by Council or independent org. e.g., SE Wales Energy Agency)
• Practical barriers (e.g. loft clearing): address before offer is made
• Spillover: design interventions with broader EE/lifestyle change as aim – consider rebound & design comms/policies to foster spillover
