Behaviour change for energy efficiency

Whilst major investments are being made into new technologies and materials for improving energy efficiency, there are a number of human-related factors that also need to be addressed. Strategies and targets need to be in line with the motivations of individual building users and owners, and actions need to be easily integrated into daily behaviours to be effective.

Changing this daily behaviour is a major challenge, requiring training and awareness activities, as well as feedback measures and incentives to trigger long-term change. Behavioural sciences are increasingly being applied to energy efficiency policies, resulting in new policy interventions that can have a high impact on user behaviour.