Energy efficiency in household sector

Abstract

Energy efficiency and behavioural changes are among the key pillars of decarbonization of the global energy system. Residential sector is responsible for a large share of fossil fuels final consumption, therefore the growth of its energy efficiency can bring a valuable impact on decarbonization speed and scale. In countries with growing economies residential energy consumption can increase dramatically due to the desire of the population to improve their standard of living, therefore striking a balance between economic growth and energy efficiency improvement is a complex policy challenge. The purpose of this study is to analyze attitudes and assess barriers of energy efficient behavior in Republic of Armenia as a country with growing economy and standards of living. The paper contributes to the literature by providing new empirical evidence of consumers’ attitude toward different forms of energy efficient behavior in Armenia and reveals how general pro-environmental consciousness and social conditions influence on it. The results of the study prove that the level of general environmental consciousness of the population has a direct impact on the frequency of practical application of various patterns of energy-efficient behavior. As a policy application for emerging economies, our study proposes that the main direction of energy efficiency policy can be education of the population and raising its level of environmental self-awareness.