Justification of the research / research argument
An endeavor to reduce energy demand is widely recognized as a hallmark attitude of sustainable development. In addition to systemic solutions, which usually involve significant financial inputs, the human bahaviour is important.
Aims
The purpose of this article is to present the results of the experimental research program Energy Saving in the Office (ESO) concerning energy saving bahaviour at the workplace after working hours.
Methods/approach
As part of the ESO project, two studies were conducted in the same population: an experiment on energy saving behavior, and a questionnaire about the opinion of the respondents on energy saving and their activities in this field.
Findings/results
The experiment allowed, among others, to observe a causal relationship between the information provided and the energy-saving behavior of employees.
The results of this experiment show that getting information and incentives about energy saving opportunities indeed leads to energy saving behaviors. It was found also that positive responses to incentives were correlated to preference for the temperature lower than the average in the studied population.
75% of respondents declared that they intend to "continue reducing the temperature in the office after working hours” after the end of the project.
Conclusions
Providing an appropriate information can lead to energy-efficient behaviors but such improvements are not guaranteed to be durable.
The participants of ESO project mostly expressed positive opinions about the activities undertaken in this project, as well as indicated the need to carry out such activities.
5e. Sustainable consumption and consumers
