Original scientific paper
Public Incentives for Energy Conservation and the Use of Solar: Institutional and Behavioural Factors in Securing Household Responsiveness
Seymour Warkow
; Department of Sociology, University of Connecticut, Storrs
Abstract
This paper provides an overview of several studies dealing with behavioral and institutional factors in securing household responsiveness to public incentives: specifically it reports on two programs aimed at fostering residential energy efficiency and household adoption of domestic hot water heating in one New England state — Connecticut. The results of the solar grant program are in accord with social and spatial aspects of innovation theory: high status communities harbor population segments most likely to engage in early adoption behavior, while interest in the energy conservation home loan program reflects family structure dimensions involved in decisions concerning consumer durables such as insulation. The paper also consider factors affecting the conversion of public interest in energy incentives into program participation and concludes with a discussion of social equity impacts of energy policies.
Keywords
Hrčak ID:
155875
URI
Publication date:
31.12.1982.
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