Insulation uptake and links to other EE behaviours

1. BEHAVE Energy Conference, 3-4 Sept 2014, Oxford Does installing loft insulation encourage, or inhibit, other energy-saving behaviours? Behavioural spillover and rebound effects in home energy use Lorraine Whitmarsh1, Wouter Poortinga2, Christine Suffolk2, Alison Howard3 & Haydn Cullen-Jones4 1School of Psychology, Cardiff University; 2Welsh School of Architecture, Cardiff University; 3Monmouthshire County Council; 4Transition Monmouth

2. Insulation uptake and links to other EE behaviours • Installing insulation is amongst most effective ways of saving energy • 53% of household carbon emissions due to space heating (HM Govt, 2006) • Despite various government initiatives to heavily subsidise (ECO, CERT, GD, etc.), there is currently low uptake of loft or wall insulation • Barriers include price and hassle (e.g., Caird et al., 2008) • Little also known about how installing insulation may affect energy use within the home – i.e. increased or decreased consumption • Rebound / ‘take-back’ effect, i.e. the potential for efficiency savings to be undermined by consequent increased energy use (e.g., money saved on energy through insulation may be spent on heating the home to higher temperature; or on unrelated energy-consuming activities, e.g., travel; e.g., Herring & Sorrell, 2008) • Behavioural spillover, i.e., taking up a new behaviour (e.g., installing insulation) may lead to adoption of additional, more environmentally beneficial, behaviours (e.g., Thøgersen, 1999)

3. Behavioural Spillover Taking up a new environmental behaviour may lead to adoption of additional, environmentally beneficial, behaviours • From behaviour change to lifestyle change • Theoretical support (e.g., self-perception theory) – but no coherent theory • (Initial) empirical support (e.g., Whitmarsh & O’Neill, 2010) – mostly correlational

4. Results: 2. Spill-over effects One-off domestic energy conservation actions Political actions Eco-shopping and eating Eco-driving Reducing car use & flights Regular water & domestic energy conservation Waste reduction (with some energy/water conservation)

5. Welsh carrier bag charge – has it led to spillover? Welsh sample pre- (Sep 2011) and post- (Apr 2012) charge (N=500) Poortinga et al., 2013

6. Current project – aims and methods • Aims: To examine: (a) motivations and barriers to uptake of loft insulation, and (b) whether insulation installation changes other behaviours, including EE (e.g., turning off unused lights) and broader pro-environmental (e.g., water saving, recycling) behaviours. • Method: Postal survey (N=736) of residents in three socially diverse wards in Monmouthshire, Wales, in January 2013. • Sample: range of household and property types. Broadly representative, though skewed towards older age groups. • Measures: attitudes to loft insulation, uptake of offers, EE and pro-environmental behaviours, environmental/EE identity*, fuel poverty, comfort, SES, property type, etc. * 4-items: e.g., To save energy is an important part of who I am; Being environmentally friendly is an important part of who I am (α = 0.83)

7. Sample details

8. Sample details

9. Results: (a) Loft insulation How widespread is loft insulation? • Most respondents (84%) already have their loft insulated (6% DK) • However, of those with loft insulation, only 44% say they have recommended level (i.e. 270mm); 25% do not know their insulation depth What kinds of households have insulation? • Olderoccupants and those living in semi-detached and detached properties are more likely to have installed loft insulation • People who are living in rented accommodation are less likely to have loft insulation than owner-occupiers. Properties built before 1945 were least likely to have loft insulation* *also lower thermal comfort and higher fuel poverty

10. Results: (a) Loft insulation What are the perceived benefits and disadvantages of loft insulation? • Benefits: to save energy and/or money, and to increase comfort in winter. Few motivated by environment; none by property values. • Disadvantages: difficulties clearing/emptying the loft, reducing available loft storage, and disruption in the home during installation. Benefits Disadvantages

11. Results: (a) Loft insulation How have insulation offers been received? • Many households (58%) had been contacted previously about receiving free loft insulation. However, of these, only 40% had accepted the offer • Motivations (N=170): esp. increased warmth/comfort and saving money %

12. Results: (a) Loft insulation How have insulation offers been received? • Reasons for not accepting (N=206): already insulated; found (after asses’t) did not qualify; full loft; distrust in salespeople; aggressive marketing %

13. Results: (a) Loft insulation What would encourage uptake? • Financial incentives come top, though hassle also a barrier %

14. Results: (b) Spillover What energy saving actions do households take? • Many HHs have home EE measures: e.g., 90% have low-energy light bulbs; 50% have A-rated energy appliances; only 10% have an energy monitor • Most (>80%) have thermostats, timers, and valves to control heating system

15. Results: (b) Spillover What energy saving actions do households take? • Most turn off heating/lights when not in use and only boil the kettle with as much water as in needed (>80%). Fewer put on more clothes rather than turning the heating up (51%) or avoid energy at peak times (23%). Most respondents also used water responsibly, recycled paper, and buy products with less packaging. • Many felt energy conscious/concerned with environmental issues

16. Results: (b) Spillover

17. Results: (b) Spillover

18. Results: (b) Spillover • Loft insulation strongly related to some other EE actions: • Households with loft insulation more likely to have double glazing and draught-proofed windows and doors • Also to save energy through behaviour change (e.g. turning off lights; boiling kettle with as much water as needed) • Loft insulation also linked to other types of environmental behaviours (e.g. recycling and water use) • Thus loft insulation may ‘spillover’ to other environmental behaviours (even in other domains) • No evidence of rebound • But NB. actual energy use not measured; and correlational only • However, it may also be possible that the results reflect differences between different (socio-demographic) groups. Relationship with other EE actions remained when controlling for environmental identity, age and tenure; but became non-sig. with other behav’s

19. Conclusions • Financial and comfort benefits dominate motivations; practical barriers most cited (e.g., difficulties clearing/emptying the loft, reducing available loft storage, and disruption in the home during installation) • High demand for loft insulation – but many HHs did not receive free installation in previous insulation schemes as did not qualify, leading to disaffection. Many also put off by aggressive marketing and rogue traders. Several had bad experiences with prior insulation schemes • Respondents showed great enthusiasm for thermal imaging. Free thermal imaging offered to the first 100 survey respondents – several took action after seeing thermal image of their own home • Loft insulation may encourage people to take other EE actions, but it less likely to lead to other environmental actions

20. Implications • Distrust / dislike of cold calls: Contacting households personally likely to be most effective in increasing the uptake of free insulation offers • Trust: use accredited local contractor known in area for high-quality work. • Disaffection: schemes should not be too restrictive as being excluded from a scheme is often experienced as unfair and can lead to disaffection with EE schemes as a whole. Once trust lost, may be difficult to restore. • Poor quality installations: need for independent quality control (e.g. by Council or independent org. e.g., SE Wales Energy Agency) • Practical barriers (e.g. loft clearing): address before offer is made • Spillover: design interventions with broader EE/lifestyle change as aim – consider rebound&design comms/policies to foster spillover

21. Thank you WhitmarshLE@cardiff.ac.uk http://psych.cf.ac.uk/whitmarsh