HOUSEHOLD ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN IRELAND - A REPLICATION STUDY OF OWNERSHIP OF ENERGY-SAVING ITEMS

Ownership of energy saving items in the home is surprisingly low in Ir eland. Logistic regression analysis of data derived from a survey of h ouseholds reveals significant reasons for not investing in such items. The reasons are somewhat similar to those found by Brechling and Smit h for the United Kingdom. Lack of information, non-appropriability, sm all potential saving, restricted access to credit and transactions cos ts play an important role, leaving only a minority of non-owners who a re model-inconsistent and who are possibly non-optimisers. Some policy implications are outlined.