Elsevier

Energy and Buildings

Volume 215, 15 May 2020, 109888
Energy and Buildings

Householders’ readiness for demand-side response: A qualitative study of how domestic tasks might be shifted in time

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2020.109888Get rights and content

Abstract

Domestic demand-side response (DSR) involves having householders shift energy-consumptive behaviours forwards or backwards in time to avoid peak-demand periods. Time of Use tariffs, which vary the cost of energy depending on when it is used, are a proposed mechanism for DSR. However, we do not know which behaviours, if any, are amenable to being brought forward or postponed, nor what information people would need to do this. Here we presented people with hypothetical variable financial costs and, for the first time, carbon costs for future energy consumption. People's think-aloud decisions about when they would perform consumptive activities were qualitatively analysed. We show that non-daily high-consumption activities (e.g., ironing, vacuuming) are perceived as moveable in response to price changes or, notably, information about environmental consequences; but barriers to moving other activities, even in the face of higher costs or environmental harm, include household dynamics (difficulties negotiating consumption across cohabitants), social roles, community living (not wishing to disturb neighbours), lack of energy literacy and the routine nature of many tasks. This study provides a framework for understanding which behaviours might or might not be shifted and what guidance and information may be needed by householders if tariffs are to provide effective DSR.

Section snippets

Participants

Participants were UK university staff and students, and the parents of students attending university open days. They were recruited at the open days or using flyers, online notice boards, university mailing lists and convenience sampling from our staff. No financial incentives were offered.

Thirty-three people participated, 28 of whom (85%) were personally responsible for making sure energy bills were paid in their home. Sixteen participants (49%) were male and 17 (51%) were female. Age was

Results

We break the analysis into three sections: (1) a summary of responses to the various prototype tariffs, (2) facilitators and barriers to shifting the time of consumption, and (3) strategies for responding to time-of-use tariffs to minimise cost. Qualitative findings are presented thematically within each section. A sample of participant quotations has been provided to give the reader a flavour of how the themes arose from the data.

Discussion

This study used a think-aloud protocol to explore decision-making when people were shown putative time of use (ToU) tariffs representing variable financial and carbon costs of energy consumption. Participants were more receptive to a complex three-tier tariff than a simple two-tier tariff, going as far as considering demand-side response behaviour for the three-tier tariff that they specifically ruled out for the two-tier tariff. The two-tier model was perceived as overly simplistic and

Conclusions

When presented with hypothetical energy tariffs that showed time-variable financial or carbon information, participants showed a willingness to respond to relatively complex variable price structures. Indeed, the three-tier price structure tested here was preferred over a two-tier tariff – to the extent of prompting people to consider the very same behaviour changes that they were less amenable to under the simpler tariff. Demand-side response to variable prices seemed most likely when price

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Ian Walker: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing. Aimie Hope: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing.

Declaration of Competing Interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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    This work was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council grant EP/K036211/1, High Energy And Power Density (HEAPD) Solutions to Large Energy Deficits.

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