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Multiplying energy-saving behaviour in cities through formal social groups

Panel: 9. Dynamics of consumption

This is a peer-reviewed paper.

Authors:
Corinne Moser, ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, School of Engineering, Institute of Sustainable Development, Switzerland
Yann Blumer, ZHAW, Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), Switzerland
Roman Seidl, ETH Zürich, Institute for Environmental Decisions, Switzerland
Vicente Carabias-Hütter, ZHAW, Institute of Sustainable Development (INE), Switzerland
Bettina Furrer, ZHAW, Institute of Sustainable Development (INE), Switzerland

Abstract

Cities are key agents of change in the upcoming energy transition in Switzerland. They promote technical efficiency measures and behavioural change to save energy both as role models and by addressing consumers directly. A crucial question is how cities can best elicit citizens’ full potential of energy saving through adapting their habitual behavior or routines, or in other words, how cities can promote energy sufficiency.

This paper presents first findings of a transdisciplinary project involving the three Swiss cities of Winterthur, Baden, and Zug. The project’s key idea is that cities can promote the energy transition by taking the social nature of human beings as a starting point. In particular, it examines whether formal social groups (e.g., sports clubs) may function as powerful multipliers for communal energy-saving activities.

Thus, the aims of this paper are: i) to identify activities that cities and other organisations can realize to promote private energy-saving, and ii) to discuss the role of formal social groups in cities when addressing private consumers.

We will present findings from three in-depth case studies in the cities of Winterthur, Baden, and Zug. For each city, we identify and structure activities to promote energy-saving of private consumers (document analysis, expert interviews). Both energy-efficiency and sufficiency activities will be contrasted with international best practices in other cities to promote energy-saving. Based on our findings we suggest strategies how the three studied cities may best address private consumers to achieve energy-saving. Special attention will be given to formal social groups and their potential to motivate their members to save energy. This may concern activities that are related to the purpose of the group (e.g., members use public transport instead of car to go to away games) and potentially also members’ private activities (e.g., use of public transport instead of car for private leisure activities). As an outlook, we formulate first ideas for real-world experiments to systematically test the influence of formal social groups on individual energy-saving behaviour.

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Download this presentation as pdf: 9-190-15_Moser_pre.pdf

Download this paper as pdf: 9-190-15_Moser.pdf