Changing people's behaviour and reducing energy consumption has proved to be more difficult than attitudes or technical possibilities would imply. This paper discusses how to intervene the individual decisions that significantly determine energy consumption.
When analysing energy-relevant decisions, we have noticed that there are once-in-a-lifetime decisions (e.g. choosing the family home) that set the energy consumption, at a relatively fixed level, for years to come. When examining energy decisions further, the prime importance of gatekeepers emerges: they are professional and peer opinion leaders as well as retail organisations that influence consumers’ big energy choices.
| Authors: Tuuli Kaskinen, Outi Kuittinen, Aleksi Neuvonen, Roope Mokka |