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What's Driving Sustainable Energy Consumption? A Survey of the Empirical Literature

Author

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  • Wüstenhagen, Rolf
  • Schleich, Joachim
  • Rennings, Klaus
  • Heinzle, Stefanie
  • Brohmann, Bettina
Abstract
The focus of the paper is on the individual decision of energy consumers, and it's relation to sustainable consumption. Consumer behavior is based on individual decisions, but it depends largely on supply-side measures and an appropriate infrastructure (e.g. the availability of energy-efficient household equipment) and on socio-political factors (e.g. if systems of emissions trading or eco-labels exist). We derive some hypotheses on the determinants of sustainable energy consumption in residential buildings from a review of the empirical literature on the diffusion of energy efficient activities. While there is agreement on a lot of factors, the role of environmental attitudes and environmental behavior remains uncertain. Thus research needs are derived respectively. Finally, we specify these hypotheses for three specific technologies of sustainable energy consumption: Domestic appliances, micro-power and green electricity.

Suggested Citation

  • Wüstenhagen, Rolf & Schleich, Joachim & Rennings, Klaus & Heinzle, Stefanie & Brohmann, Bettina, 2009. "What's Driving Sustainable Energy Consumption? A Survey of the Empirical Literature," ZEW Discussion Papers 09-013, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:zewdip:7538
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Kim, Jin-Ho & Shcherbakova, Anastasia, 2011. "Common failures of demand response," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 873-880.
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    4. Antonella Biscione & Raul Caruso & Annunziata de Felice, 2021. "Environmental innovation in European transition countries," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 53(5), pages 521-535, January.
    5. Gottschalk, Sandra, 2013. "The Research Data Centre of the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW-FDZ)," ZEW Discussion Papers 13-051, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Sustainable consumption; consumer behaviour; domestic appliances; micro-power; green electricity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q01 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - General - - - Sustainable Development
    • Q41 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Demand and Supply; Prices

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