Energy Cultures: Implications for Policymakers

Abstract

The Energy Cultures research project (2009-2012) was planned to help inform policy making related to residential energy use and energy efficiency in New Zealand. It sought, in part, to help address the difficulties faced by government agencies in achieving the economically viable potential for residential electricity savings. In particular, the project set out to examine household energy behaviour in relation to space heating and hot water heating, which together account for around 60% of household energy use. The programme was designed as a number of discrete research projects, linked together by the Energy Cultures conceptual framework. This report presents the policy implications of the multiple findings of that research.