Surveys as Means of Understanding User-behaviour with Respect to Energy Usage in Households, Prior to Decision-making to Promote Sustainability

Households account for varying shares of total energy usage in countries, depending on the degree of industrialization. In order to design effective policy instruments and set appropriate levels for subsidies, knowing the attitudes and perceptions of users with respect to energy usage and energy saving is always the first step. In this article, the authors have first presented a comparative analysis and critique of selected recently-published surveys (2018) related to energy use in households, from around the world, before applying the  sustainability-thinking paradigm to their own regional survey of close to 300 single-family households (detached houses and row houses) carried out in Karlstad (south-central Sweden), to obtain insights into user attitudes and preferences – categorised into the three dimensions of sustainability – when it comes  to energy usage or decision-making with regard to retrofits or new energy-using / energy-saving installations in households. Each of the dimensions is characterised by three criteria which respondents have rated on a Likert’s scale of 0 to 4 (not important to very important). The findings from this survey will open up a new way of thinking about the heterogeniety of energy users (which needs to be respected), for decision-makers and energy-advisers, who could subsquently strengthen their interaction and communication with them.