The notion of energy efficiency just isn't sexy enough to get people's attention it seems. How can we make the topic more urgent and interesting in order to get more people to participate in energy efficiency measures?
When people hear about energy efficiency ideas they usually like them, but do little or nothing about it. People tend to stay in their habit ruts unless something drastic pushes them to do something different. If you can't afford your electric bill then maybe you will take some measures to reduce it to an affordable level.
In the past policymakers have used a price-based approach such as greenhouse gas emissions taxes, and rebates for trading old appliances for energy efficient appliances, as incentives to encourage consumers to make better energy efficiency choices. Research in psychology and behavioral economics suggests that non-price approaches can be as powerful in influencing consumers choices.
Regularly sending each consumer an energy use report, which compares their consumption to similar nearby households along with a description of the social norm are better at reducing energy use than other appeals such as saving the environment and social responsibility. The report would also include energy conservation tips. Most people deny social norms will influence them, but trials done by Opower when partnering with several utility companies showed that social norms will influence behavior even though people claim it does not.
Find out more about energy efficiency by visiting my website at http://www.homes-energy-efficient.com/
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Showing posts with label energy efficient home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label energy efficient home. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Energy Efficiency Not Sexy Enough To Get Attention
The notion of energy efficiency just isn't sexy enough to get people's attention it seems. How can we make the topic more sexy and interesting in order to get more people to participate in energy efficiency measures?
When people hear about energy efficiency ideas they usually like them, but do little or nothing about it. Is it laziness, apathy, or why is it that some very easy energy saving measures that would save people money are just ignored? People tend to stay in their habit ruts unless something drastic pushes them to do something different. If you can't afford your electric bill then maybe you will take some measures to reduce it to an affordable level.
I was happy when my daughter brought home a conservation challenge sheet home from elementary school.
It listed ways to conserve energy, combine transportation, reduce waste, recycling, water conservation and gave all kinds of tips. Then the sheet asked you to go over these tips with your child and decide which ones your family would like to commit to doing. I thought it was an excellent idea. More tips here
When I went to school there was no such thing as conserving to save the planet. Kids enjoy that though, so while they are young and motivated and truly believe they alone can save the planet we should truly encourage their conservation efforts. Eventually some will rub off on the adults around them and more people will start to care. More about going green
As a parent I probably care more about what happens to the earth than your average person because I care about my children and their future. So rather than trying to get uninterested people involved in energy conservation, why not start with people that are more likely to care like children and parents and try to build social pressure outward to include other people an encourage them to jump on board the energy conservation train.
Energy efficiency is a topic that requires someone to DO something in order to participate. Are we too caught up in our lives, jobs, TV shows and the like, to care about the future? What people fail to realize is that these energy efficiency habits save you money. Who doesn't need some extra money?
Energy efficiency consists of many habits that are free to learn and do. Other energy efficiency measures involve spending some money such as doing home improvements and upgrading appliances, but you can start where you feel comfortable. Once you start some of these measures you will become conscious of more that you can participate in and you'll have that warm fuzzy feeling that you are doing your part to help save the planet. More about energy conservation
One individual effort alone may not make a big difference but when added together with everyone elses' individual efforts does make a huge difference. So where ever you are help out in your own way with energy efficiency and conservation of water, and natural resources by recycling.
More about energy efficient appliances
Please visit my other website at homes-energy-efficient.com
Any thoughts on how to make getting involved more interesting or sexy or trendy? Any thoughts on how to increase social pressure to get involved? I would love to hear them!
When people hear about energy efficiency ideas they usually like them, but do little or nothing about it. Is it laziness, apathy, or why is it that some very easy energy saving measures that would save people money are just ignored? People tend to stay in their habit ruts unless something drastic pushes them to do something different. If you can't afford your electric bill then maybe you will take some measures to reduce it to an affordable level.
I was happy when my daughter brought home a conservation challenge sheet home from elementary school.
It listed ways to conserve energy, combine transportation, reduce waste, recycling, water conservation and gave all kinds of tips. Then the sheet asked you to go over these tips with your child and decide which ones your family would like to commit to doing. I thought it was an excellent idea. More tips here
When I went to school there was no such thing as conserving to save the planet. Kids enjoy that though, so while they are young and motivated and truly believe they alone can save the planet we should truly encourage their conservation efforts. Eventually some will rub off on the adults around them and more people will start to care. More about going green
As a parent I probably care more about what happens to the earth than your average person because I care about my children and their future. So rather than trying to get uninterested people involved in energy conservation, why not start with people that are more likely to care like children and parents and try to build social pressure outward to include other people an encourage them to jump on board the energy conservation train.
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| recycle symbol |
Children's shows on TV seem to feature the occasional promotion of earth friendly habits like recycling which is nice to see. I would like to see more advertising along those lines featuring children our kids watch on TV. They have a lot of influence. Who would pay for such promotional efforts? Perhaps the US Department of Energy could kick in a few dollars and other waste management companies that want to promote recycling. More about recycling
Energy efficiency consists of many habits that are free to learn and do. Other energy efficiency measures involve spending some money such as doing home improvements and upgrading appliances, but you can start where you feel comfortable. Once you start some of these measures you will become conscious of more that you can participate in and you'll have that warm fuzzy feeling that you are doing your part to help save the planet. More about energy conservation
One individual effort alone may not make a big difference but when added together with everyone elses' individual efforts does make a huge difference. So where ever you are help out in your own way with energy efficiency and conservation of water, and natural resources by recycling.
More about energy efficient appliances
Please visit my other website at homes-energy-efficient.com
Any thoughts on how to make getting involved more interesting or sexy or trendy? Any thoughts on how to increase social pressure to get involved? I would love to hear them!
Monday, January 3, 2011
A Residential Energy Audit and Why It is For You.
Residential energy audits look at the house-as-a-system and find out all the ways you could make your home more energy efficient. If you have drafts, high electric bills, uneven temperatures, mold, mildew and the like, then you probably have many improvements that could be done to make your home more efficient.
A home energy audit will indicate the findings and suggest improvements you could make to increase the over all efficiency of your home. This will help you lower you energy bills and save you some money.
Once you know where the energy is being lost and what changes you can make to improve the systems in the home you will be able to improve your comfort and lower your electric bills.
Look for Energy Star appliances to save you money as well. They are more efficient than non energy star labeled appliances. You can read all about energy star and home efficiency here.
Have you ever had a residential energy audit or a home energy audit? If so I'd like to hear about it. What was the most interesting thing you learned from the process?
A home energy audit will indicate the findings and suggest improvements you could make to increase the over all efficiency of your home. This will help you lower you energy bills and save you some money.
Once you know where the energy is being lost and what changes you can make to improve the systems in the home you will be able to improve your comfort and lower your electric bills.
Look for Energy Star appliances to save you money as well. They are more efficient than non energy star labeled appliances. You can read all about energy star and home efficiency here.
Have you ever had a residential energy audit or a home energy audit? If so I'd like to hear about it. What was the most interesting thing you learned from the process?
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