South African Consumers’ Awareness, Attitude and Behaviour towards energy efficiency

Date
2011-05-10
Authors
Khatri, Amal
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Abstract
The world is undergoing a crisis in terms of the future of our planet. The emissions of CO2 into the atmosphere have led to a significant impact on the temperature rise on the planet. The energy sector is one of the contributors towards the emission of gases, largely due to production and consumption patterns of electricity. Due to supply constraints in South Africa, becoming energy efficient has become a vital behaviour to ensure a stable electrical network. On broader scale, energy efficiency will have an impact on the planet. The purpose of this research is to investigate South African consumers‟ awareness, attitude and behaviour towards energy efficiency. The data for the study was collected by means of questionnaire. A total of 163 questionnaires were completed and analysed using various statistical analysis techniques. The level of awareness was measured by testing some basic ways of contributing towards energy efficiency. A factor analysis was carried out on 11 attitudinal statements to determine the underlying grouping of issues. This was then used to cluster the groups according to these factors to determine the underlying patterns within the specific demographics. The behaviour was measured through descriptive statistics and several factors were tested for behavioural change. The main finding of the research is that there is a reasonable level of awareness among consumers. Respondents are aware of the present issues and are taking some steps to becoming more energy efficient. This however is limited and more work is required from both government and industry to make energy efficiency a household action. In order to improve the level of awareness a detailed strategy needs to be developed. This will ensure that there is a holistic approach to energy efficiency, where information becomes knowledge, which in turn becomes a lifestyle. The key recommendation is to share more and in-depth information to customers via various media, as detailed in the research. A model has been developed based on the research to assist in developing an integrated energy efficiency strategy
Description
MBA - WBS
Keywords
Consumer behaviour, Energy efficiency
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