Do Consumers Know "What Works" in Energy Conservation?

Articles
Kempton, W., Harris, C. K., Keith, J. G., & Weihl, J. S. (1985). Do consumers know "what works" in energy conservation?. Marriage and Family Review, 9, 1-2, 115-133.
Investigated consumer attitudes toward energy conservation (efficiency investments, better management, and curtailment of amenities) by examining consumer bias in comparing measur…

Folk Quantification of Energy

Articles
Kempton, W., & Montgomery, L. (1982). Folk quantification of energy. Energy, 7, 10, 817-827.
Consumers use simplified measurements as a basis for residential energy decisions. We analyze their measurements of monthly consumption, changes through time, comparison of appl…

Cognitive Dissonance and Energy Conservation

Articles
Kantola, S. J., Syme, G. J., & Campbell, N. A. (1984). Cognitive dissonance and energy conservation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 69, 3, 416-421.
Examined whether high consumers of electricity placed in a cognitively dissonant situation would conserve electricity over a 4-wk period. 272 households in Perth, Western Australi…

Psychological Research for the New Energy Problems: Strategies and Opportunities

Articles
Kempton, W., Darley, J. M., & Stern, P. C. (1992). Psychological research for the new energy problems: Strategies and opportunities. American Psychologist, 47, 10, 1213-1223.
Recent concern with environmental problems has rekindled interest in energy conservation. To illustrate how psychologists can make useful contributions and how a changed energy si…

A Social-Psychological Analysis of Residential Electricity Consumption: The Impact of Minimal Justification Techniques

Articles
Katzev, R. D., & Johnson, T. R. (1983). A social-psychological analysis of residential electricity consumption: The impact of minimal justification techniques. Journal of Economic Psychology, 3, 3-4, 267-284.
Explored the impact of the foot-in-the-door technique on residential energy conservation. 66 homeowners were asked to curtail their consumption of electricity by 10%. In the foot-…

A Social Psychological Perspective on Energy Conservation in Residential Buildings

Articles
Langmeyer, L. (1984). A social psychological perspective on energy conservation in residential buildings. American Psychologist, 39, 7, 810-811.
To design effective public policy, the social, cognitive, and personal forces that, in addition to the economic realities, define the situation must be understood. For the past 4 …

Use of Evaluation to Improve Energy Conservation Programs: A Review and Case Study

Articles
Kushler, M. G. (1989). Use of evaluation to improve energy conservation programs: A review and case study. Journal of Social Issues, 45, 1, 153-168.
Focuses on energy conservation and reviews the history of social science contributions in that area, together with a case study of the successful Michigan Residential Conservation…

Nuclear Power: The Dynamics of Acceptability

Articles
Levi, D. J., & Holder, E. E. (1986). Nuclear power: The dynamics of acceptability. Environment and Behavior, 18, 3, 385-395.
175 psychology and 35 landscape architecture students completed a questionnaire concerning the construction of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant to test the hypotheses that an…

Psychological Factors in the Nuclear Power Controversy

Articles
Levi, D. J., & Holder, E. E. (1988). Psychological factors in the nuclear power controversy. Political Psychology, 9, 3, 445-457.
Surveyed 289 undergraduates (approximate age 18-21 yrs) attending school near a nuclear power (NP) plant to examine beliefs and emotions that underlie attitudes toward nuclear pow…

Drop and Tilt: A Comparison of Two Procedures to Increase the Use of Venetian Blinds to Conserve Energy

Articles
Luyben, P. D. (1984). Drop and tilt: A comparison of two procedures to increase the use of venetian blinds to conserve energy. Journal of Community Psychology, 12, 2, 149-154.
Dropping and tilting venetian blinds appropriately can reduce unnecessary heat loss through window glass. Previous research has shown that both feedback and payments can effective…
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