The Short List: The Most Effective Actions U.S. Households Can Take to Curb Climate Change

Eligible households installed the recommended retrofits at an average rate of 5.3 percent per year, but there was tremendous variation across the utilities, with rates ranging from 1.4-19.3 percent per year, depending on how a utility marketed and implemented its version of the program-a difference...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environment : science and policy for sustainable development 2008-09, Vol.50 (5), p.12-25
Main Authors: Gardner, Gerald T., Stern, Paul C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Behavior
Carbon
Carbon emissions
Climate change
Communication
Consumer behavior
Cost control
Earth
Emissions
Energy audits
Energy conservation
Energy consumption
Energy efficiency
Energy policy
Environmental policy
Environmental protection
Fuel economy standards
Gasoline prices
Handbooks
Household consumption
Households
Indexing in process
Information
Q1
Skills
U.S.A
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Summary:Eligible households installed the recommended retrofits at an average rate of 5.3 percent per year, but there was tremendous variation across the utilities, with rates ranging from 1.4-19.3 percent per year, depending on how a utility marketed and implemented its version of the program-a difference between getting all the homes retrofitted in about 70 years or 5 years.26 Community-based efforts that use informal social networks to help spread the word-for example, neighborhood cooperation in a campaign to caulk and weather-strip homes-can make multicomponent programs more effective.27 Finally, there is room for regulatory approaches, such as tightening standards for energy equipment, especially home insulation and water-heaters where energy efficiency is a major but invisible product attribute.
ISSN:0013-9157
1939-9154
DOI:10.3200/ENVT.50.5.12-25