Energy: Online report on household energy behavior
1/10/2020
The report " Household Energy Behaviors - Cultural, social and individual aspects"- the outcome of a collaboration between Milan State University (Chair of Social Psychology) and Italy in Class A, the national campaign on energy efficiency promoted by the Ministry of Economic Development and conducted by ENEA- is online. The interdisciplinary research, conducted by Paolo Inghilleri (coordinator), Marco Boffi, Linda Grazia Pola and Nicola Rainisio, provides a psychology and applied social sciences - oriented approach to environmental issues, studying in detail the relationship between cultures and energy behaviors, with a focus on the Italian situation and household energy behavior.
The study shows a marked contradiction in the national situation, characterized on the one hand by similarities to the most advanced countries as regards sustainability (high perception of climate change risks, trust in collective action, wide diffusion of some sustainability practices), and on the other hand by opposite indicators (individualism / masculinity, poor perception of individual responsibility, refusal of disincentive policies, scarce diffusion of pro-environmental behaviors). Furthermore, in Italy the differences on a territorial scale are so significant as to recommend the adoption of differentiated intervention methods, "targeting" messages, practices and political proposals and focusing on the advantages Italians perceive as most beneficial: economic savings and reduction of health risks.
The report recommends promoting virtuous domestic behavior by encouraging, for instance, good practices regarding the most common household appliances (washing machines and refrigerators) and those related to heating. In fact, the study shows that household heating is the main item of energy expenditure for citizens and that the hours of heating in winter are, especially in the North, excessive compared to the current climate-meteorological situation. In addition, urban data (absence of lower consumption in spite of higher average temperatures caused by heat islands) suggests that the psychological aspect has a significant impact. The report encourages to invest in the emerging target of single-component families, which currently account for a third of resident households in Italy, characterized by a higher per capita energy consumption compared to the other household types.
"In-depth studies of cultural and psycho-social aspects of environmental sustainability is urgently needed in contemporary societies," Ilaria Bertini, Head of the ENEA Energy Efficiency Unit, explained. "Over the next few decades, by replacing existing energy systems with alternative production models, we will witness one of the most important technological transformations ever, which requires a strong commitment of the institutions and the research community," she continued. “The authors of the report have issued a challenge to policy makers to rethink an approach and create new communication and information strategies capable of responding to the changes that the energy transition is implementing at a global, individual and collective level. As ENEA we want to contribute to creating the most suitable tools to meet this challenge ”, Bertini concluded.
The unabridged report is available at: