TY - JOUR
T1 - Environmental motivations behind individuals’ energy efficiency investments and daily energy-saving behaviour
T2 - evidence from Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium
AU - Udalov, Vladimir
AU - Perret, Jens
AU - Vasseur, Veronique
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2017, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.
PY - 2017/7/1
Y1 - 2017/7/1
N2 - The impact of environmental motivations on the individual’s decisions regarding investments in energy efficiency and the adoption of energy-saving habits are analysed on the basis of a representative online survey carried out in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. Various energy efficiency investments and daily energy-saving activities are considered. Accounting for endogeneity in the basic estimation model, in particular regarding energy conservation activities, the subject’s experience with extreme weather events are used as an instrument for environmental motivations. This study provides empirical evidence that individual energy efficiency investments are generally driven by environmental motivations. Additionally, for the Dutch and the German sub-samples environmental motivations positively affect daily energy-saving activities. The findings suggest that policy programmes aimed at raising environmental awareness and forming pro-environmental motivations can lead to an increase in energy efficiency investments and daily energy-saving activities.
AB - The impact of environmental motivations on the individual’s decisions regarding investments in energy efficiency and the adoption of energy-saving habits are analysed on the basis of a representative online survey carried out in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. Various energy efficiency investments and daily energy-saving activities are considered. Accounting for endogeneity in the basic estimation model, in particular regarding energy conservation activities, the subject’s experience with extreme weather events are used as an instrument for environmental motivations. This study provides empirical evidence that individual energy efficiency investments are generally driven by environmental motivations. Additionally, for the Dutch and the German sub-samples environmental motivations positively affect daily energy-saving activities. The findings suggest that policy programmes aimed at raising environmental awareness and forming pro-environmental motivations can lead to an increase in energy efficiency investments and daily energy-saving activities.
KW - Energy efficiency
KW - Energy-saving
KW - Environmental behaviour
KW - Environmental motivations
KW - Extreme whether events
KW - Instrumental variable approach
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85021730543&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10368-017-0381-7
DO - 10.1007/s10368-017-0381-7
M3 - Article
SN - 1612-4804
VL - 14
SP - 481
EP - 499
JO - International Economics and Economic Policy
JF - International Economics and Economic Policy
IS - 3
ER -