Project

Step by step commitments for energy saving

Acronym
STEP_BY_STEP
Code
41H00115
Duration
01 March 2015 → 28 February 2018
Funding
European funding: framework programme
Research disciplines
  • Social sciences
    • Communication sciences not elsewhere classified
    • Sociology and social studies of science and technology
  • Engineering and technology
    • Renewable power and energy systems engineering
Keywords
energy
Other information
 
Project description

At present, energy conservation campaigns provide households with a general awareness but do not provoke

large scale behavior changes.The main goal of the STEP_BY_STEP is to maximize the number of households

in a given area that significantly change their behaviour at home. Desired behaviour change includes reduced

electricity consumption and the investment in energy efficient products and/or high quality renewable energy

products.Communication strategies involving direct contact are typically more effective on behavioural change

than mass media campaigns. Thus, a system will be put into place to make individual door-to-door contact with

80% of the households in a given area.Contrary to traditional door-to-door canvassing, often seen as a one-shot

deal, our project solicits targeted households regularly through email or by phone and accompanies them over a

20 month period towards the adoption of energy-saving practices.To reduce the attitude-behaviour gap, our system

uses proven communication techniques that push towards action. Households are regularly encouraged to try new

ecological gestures adapted to their level of motivation. Feedback is given and social norms are used.Communitybased

social marketing strategies will be used to encourage energy-related investment decisions. Households likely

to take individual investment decisions will be motivated to take such decisions benefiting from economies of scale

and facilitated by other households’experience. Institutional partners will launch their energy saving interventions

amongst 9000 households in 4 European areas that represent diverse populations and communities. French SME E3D

will provide a behavioral strategy along with a web based system for behavioral change developed within a research

project. Partnered laboratories will analyze household energy saving behavior patterns based on profiles and will

define the environmental and economic impact of the project. Power Link will ensure the dissemination.

 
Role of Ghent University
Power-Link Ghent University is the communication and dissemination manager of the project.