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Reducing energy demand in the household sector – the policy challenge

Dr. Corinna Fischer

BEHAVE 2014

University of Oxford, 3-4 Sept 2014

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Energy saving policy challenge │Dr. Corinna Fischer│BEHAVE, Oxford│Sep 3, 2014

Policy Context

● The German „Energy Roadmap“: Energy savings goals

Primary Energy Buildings Electricity Transport

Heat Primary Energy

Final Energy

By 2020 -20% -20% -10% -10%

By 2050 -50% -80% -25% -40%

● Heated discussion on the cost of renewable electricity

● Complementary study: „Policy scenarios for climate protection“; focusing on efficiency policies

● …and personal context: Staff at German Environmental Agency with an affinity to the degrowth community

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A special project…

• Funded by the Ministry of the Environment, run by the German Environmental Agency

• The goal: to develop a policy toolbox for lowering energy consumption in households (and not just: increasing efficiency)

• Cross-cutting perspective over various need areas

• Interdisciplinary

• Sufficiency policies

Energy saving policy challenge │Dr. Corinna Fischer│BEHAVE, Oxford│Sep 3, 2014

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…and its details• Runs from May 2013 to November 2014

• Budget: 223.000 EUR

• Oeko Institut e.V. and IREES GmbH

• Goal: To identify energy conservation measures and develop supportive policy instruments for the household sector across four need areas:

‒ Housing

‒ Appliances

‒ Transport

‒ Food (grey energy)

Energy saving policy challenge │Dr. Corinna Fischer│BEHAVE, Oxford│Sep 3, 2014

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Energy saving policy challenge │Dr. Corinna Fischer│BEHAVE, Oxford│Sep 3, 2014

Select activities

Select activities

Tasks

Ggf. Bildquelle hier angeben

Task 6: Integrated roadmap

Present results in short form as integrated roadmap

Task 5: New policiesDevelop and evaluate new policy instruments to promote activities

Task 4: Current policies

Evaluate to what degree current policies promote these activities

Task 3: Economic evaluation

Identify costs, benefits, and social impacts

Task 2: Socio-psychological evaluation

Identify barriers and supporting factors for performing the activities

Task 1: Savings potentials

Identify conservation activities; quantify additional savings potentials;

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Our activities (chosen from ~100 candidates)

Energy saving policy challenge │Dr. Corinna Fischer│BEHAVE, Oxford│Sep 3, 2014

Housing● Reducing per capita

living space● Reducing hot water use● Reducing room temperature● Low-investive activities to reduce

heating energy (e.g. thermostat

valves)● Automation

Appliances● Cutback on redundant equipment● Limitation of individual

appliances‘ energy consumption● Changed user behaviour● Highly efficient appliances● Low-investive activities (e.g. use of

timers)

● Squares: First selection; bold: second selection

Mobility● Smaller passenger cars● Increased bicycle use● Reduced private air traffic● Telemeetings● Automation

Food● Higher share of organic

food● Reduced meat consumption● Reduced food waste

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More cycling

Long distance cycling

path network

Standard speed of 30

km/h in cities

Reduction of per capita living space

Tax on inhabited

area „One stop shop“ to support moving

Reduced meat

Feedstuff tax

Our policy instruments

Energy saving policy challenge │Dr. Corinna Fischer│BEHAVE, Oxford│Sep 3, 2014

Increased organic

Obligatory organic share in public

canteens

Reduced food

waste

Producer-retailer

networks

Smaller passenger

cars

Reform of company

car taxation

Limitation appliance

energy consumption

Feebate system

Appliances - crosscutting

Electricity sales cap

Cutback on

redundant

Scrapping premium

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to facilitate moving for the elderly

• When children leave home, elderly people often stay alone in big homes that are difficult to manage and consume a lot of energy

• If people moved to a smaller dwelling, they could save effort and energy, and the bigger dwellings could be used by families => less need for new construction

• Barriers to moving

‒ Attached to the family home

‒ Social networks in the neigbourhood

‒ Space needed for possessions

‒ No suitable new dwelling available

‒ New dwelling would be expensive

‒ Too complicated to find new dwelling

‒ Too complicated to move

Energy saving policy challenge │Dr. Corinna Fischer│BEHAVE, Oxford│Sep 3, 2014

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to facilitate moving for the elderly

• When children leave home, elderly people often stay alone in big homes that are difficult to manage and consume a lot of energy

• If people moved to a smaller dwelling, they could save effort and energy

• Barriers to moving

‒ Attached to the family home

‒ Social networks in the neigbourhood

‒ Space needed for possessions

‒ No suitable new dwelling available

‒ New dwelling would be expensive

‒ Too complicated to find new dwelling

‒ Too complicated to move

Energy saving policy challenge │Dr. Corinna Fischer│BEHAVE, Oxford│Sep 3, 2014

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The One Stop Shop• is a single address, so people to not have to contact various authorities /

organisations

• helps with

‒ finding a suitable dwelling, including organizing reconstruction work, if necessary

‒ financing the new dwelling; including arranging loans and assisting in receiving subsidies for necessary renovation / reconstruction

‒ selling the old dwelling

‒ organizing the move, including sale / giveaway / disposal of unneeded possessions

• acts as a broker between advice seekers, property owners, real estate agents, public authorities and services, relocation companies, banks, subsidizing agencies…

• may also help, as an alternative, with sharing / (sub)letting the current dwelling, including organizing necessary reconstruction

• is ideally combined with

‒ a programme to finance the move for the needy (subsidies, micro-credits)

‒ a programme to finance the conversion of big dwellings into smaller onesEnergy saving policy challenge │Dr. Corinna Fischer│BEHAVE, Oxford│Sep 3, 2014

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Ex-ante evaluation• Will the instrument be sufficiently known among the target group?

Yes, if‒ sufficient outreach activities are organised

‒ people are addressed at an appropriate point in their lives, e.g. between 60 and 70

• Will the instrument indeed motivate people to move?‒ Probably, see success of existing housing advice centers

• Will the moves indeed save energy and GHG?‒ Individual level: probably

‒ Societal level: if bigger dwellings are used by families, and need for new construction is reduced

‒ Size of the target group: 10,7 million households over 65 years; share of households in „big“ homes to be determined

• Limitations of the instrument‒ No available or affordable smaller dwellings

‒ Higher expenses after a move (e.g. people with old rental contracts or payed-off homes)

‒ Personal reasons (attachment to house, possessions, neighbours, or area)

Energy saving policy challenge │Dr. Corinna Fischer│BEHAVE, Oxford│Sep 3, 2014

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Energy saving policy challenge │Dr. Corinna Fischer│BEHAVE, Oxford│Sep 3, 2014

Experiences with the project

• Extremely difficult to quantify savings

• Circular process

• Fruitful interdisciplinary work

• Brings together different departments in the authority

• Interest of the authority in extending the project(deeper analysis of policy instruments)

• Implementation???

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Energy saving policy challenge │Dr. Corinna Fischer│BEHAVE, Oxford│Sep 3, 2014

Contact

Dr. Corinna FischerSenior Researcher

Öko-Institut e.V.Geschäftsstelle FreiburgPostfach 17 7179017 Freiburg

Telefon: +49 761 45295-223E-Mail: c.fischer@oeko.de

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Thank you for your attention!

Do you have any questions? ?