WHY DO CONSUMERS TURN A DEAF EAR TO CALLS FOR REDUCING HOME ENERGY CONSUMPTION?

Abstract

The adoption of responsible energy consumption behavior has become an increasingly analyzed topic, yet few studies have focused on the opposite concept of non-adoption of environmentally responsible behavior despite its importance for firms and public policies in the energy sector. This research aims at (i) exploring the main reasons, and possibly new ones, why people do not curtail their home energy consumption despite the incessant calls for energy conservation, and at (ii) proposing a typology of consumers’ energy-saving behavior. To address the lack of research on this topic, we conducted a qualitative study that revealed new oppositional motives related to consumers’ resistance to deconsumption.