ENERGY-CONSUMPTION IN UK HOUSEHOLDS - IMPACT OF DOMESTIC ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES

The social-psychological aspects of energy use in UK households have b een reviewed. A major survey, which focused an identifying environment al attitudes and beliefs, energy-use behaviour, ownership levels for c ertain appliances and their utilisation patterns, was undertaken among householders resident in the south-east of England. The results indic ate that members of the general public are (i) interested in receiving information concerning household energy use and the associated enviro nmental impact, and (ii) willing to modify their behaviour in order to reduce household energy consumption and environmental damage. Therefo re, there is an urgent need to provide end-users with accurate energy- consumption and environmental-impact information, persuasively present ed, to stimulate energy-rational and environmentally sustainable behav iour. For each major domestic electrical appliance, the survey data pe rmit estimates of the variations in energy consumption per household a nd of the aggregate annual consumption nationally. Copyright (C) 1996.