Turn down for watt: community fit and thermal comfort habituation predict average household heating energy consumption

Dritjon Gruda*, Paul Hanges*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

Lowering average household heating energy consumption plays a pivotal role in addressing climate change and has been central to policy initiatives. Strategies proposed so far have included commitments, incentives/ disincentives, feedback, and social norms. Yet, findings so far have been mixed and fail to explain the mechanism that drives energy conservation behavior. Using a sample of 2,128 participants across the United States, we collected survey data matched with archival temperature data to investigate the influence of past experiences on current energy conservation behaviors. Our findings indicate that childhood home temperatures significantly predict current home temperature settings. Importantly, community fit moderated this relationship. Individuals with high community fit were more likely to align their home temperature settings to those of their community. These insights not only shed light on the underlying mechanisms driving energy consumption behavior but also suggest that fostering a sense of community fit might be a more effective strategy for promoting sustainable energy practices.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbere0000407
Pages (from-to)1-16
Number of pages16
JournalPLOS Climate
Volume3
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2024

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