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Social sciences
- Sociology and social studies of science and technology
- Communication sciences not elsewhere classified
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Engineering and technology
- Renewable power and energy systems engineering
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.