Tackling climate change is not only a technological problem – replacing conventional energy with renewable energy – but it is also a problem caused by human behaviour. This manual explains how energy can be saved by changing domestic energy consuming behaviour.
Households can, for example:
employ energy efficient practices (e.g., washing in low temperature water);
avoid practices with a high energy use (e.g., showering for a short time);
avoid unnecessary energy use (e.g., closing curtains to keep out the cold);
purchase energy saving equipment (e.g., energy efficient light bulbs).
If well planned, energy awareness services can become very powerful instruments for energy saving. This manual will help you to develop and implement effective measures for behavioural change. The manual is based on the findings of the BewareE project, which compiled and analysed examples of energy awareness services from throughout Europe. As a practical, but also theory-based guide, the manual explains how to implement services which enable residents to change their behaviours, reduce their energy consumption and their energy costs.
To develop effective energy awareness services, you should consider practical experience as well as scientific evidence from a variety of disciplines. Instigating behavioural change is most likely to be successful when drawing on insights from different disciplines.
