A psychology perspective of energy consumption in organisations: The value of participatory interventions
This paper provides a psychology perspective on the human factors that should be taken into consideration when designing behaviour-based energy-saving interventions for non-residential buildings. We review psychological theories used to explain energy-related behaviours and discuss their limitations...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Published: |
Sage Publications
2015
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/69987 |
| _version_ | 1848762185916874752 |
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| author | Endrejat, P. Klonek, Florian Kauffeld, S. |
| author_facet | Endrejat, P. Klonek, Florian Kauffeld, S. |
| author_sort | Endrejat, P. |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | This paper provides a psychology perspective on the human factors that should be taken into consideration when designing behaviour-based energy-saving interventions for non-residential buildings. We review psychological theories used to explain energy-related behaviours and discuss their limitations as well as additional hindrances that interfere with employees' energy conservation. Furthermore, we highlight the features that distinguish residential from non-residential buildings and discuss how these factors may affect peoples' efforts to save energy. In conclusion, we argue that it is ineffective to promote energy-saving behaviours through top-down communication (e.g. information campaigns) but that decision-makers should rather rely on participatory designs, since these facilitate consumers' involvement, increase intrinsic motivation to save energy, take consumers' social environment into account, establish new energy-consumption norms, and encourage overt commitment of individuals to energy savings. Furthermore, we outline how participatory interventions could be strengthened by using motivational interviewing (MI) techniques, a conversation style that could be utilised to evoke users' motivation to engage in energy-conversation behaviours in non-residential buildings. Since basic MI skills can be learned within few days, we recommend that energy managers receive such a training in order to conduct in-house participatory MI-based interventions. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T10:43:33Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-69987 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T10:43:33Z |
| publishDate | 2015 |
| publisher | Sage Publications |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-699872018-10-11T06:40:04Z A psychology perspective of energy consumption in organisations: The value of participatory interventions Endrejat, P. Klonek, Florian Kauffeld, S. This paper provides a psychology perspective on the human factors that should be taken into consideration when designing behaviour-based energy-saving interventions for non-residential buildings. We review psychological theories used to explain energy-related behaviours and discuss their limitations as well as additional hindrances that interfere with employees' energy conservation. Furthermore, we highlight the features that distinguish residential from non-residential buildings and discuss how these factors may affect peoples' efforts to save energy. In conclusion, we argue that it is ineffective to promote energy-saving behaviours through top-down communication (e.g. information campaigns) but that decision-makers should rather rely on participatory designs, since these facilitate consumers' involvement, increase intrinsic motivation to save energy, take consumers' social environment into account, establish new energy-consumption norms, and encourage overt commitment of individuals to energy savings. Furthermore, we outline how participatory interventions could be strengthened by using motivational interviewing (MI) techniques, a conversation style that could be utilised to evoke users' motivation to engage in energy-conversation behaviours in non-residential buildings. Since basic MI skills can be learned within few days, we recommend that energy managers receive such a training in order to conduct in-house participatory MI-based interventions. 2015 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/69987 10.1177/1420326X15598820 Sage Publications restricted |
| spellingShingle | Endrejat, P. Klonek, Florian Kauffeld, S. A psychology perspective of energy consumption in organisations: The value of participatory interventions |
| title | A psychology perspective of energy consumption in organisations: The value of participatory interventions |
| title_full | A psychology perspective of energy consumption in organisations: The value of participatory interventions |
| title_fullStr | A psychology perspective of energy consumption in organisations: The value of participatory interventions |
| title_full_unstemmed | A psychology perspective of energy consumption in organisations: The value of participatory interventions |
| title_short | A psychology perspective of energy consumption in organisations: The value of participatory interventions |
| title_sort | psychology perspective of energy consumption in organisations: the value of participatory interventions |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/69987 |