Assessing Consumer Behaviour on Energy Efficient Products in India

About the Project

In India, attempts to evolve a systematic understanding of consumer behaviour on energy efficient products and their benefits as well as the determination of the level of and secular trends in use of these products have been lacking.

There is, thus, an urgent need to gauge consumer behaviour in regard to these products. The proposed project is a clear step in this direction.

The project will lead to a comprehensive benchmark, against which future developments in awareness about the need for energy conservation and use of energy efficient products can be evaluated.

More importantly, it will provide a basis for designing national level future strategies by the relevant departments and ministries of the government of India for enhancing the use of energy efficient products in India.

It will help both consumers and producers reduce their carbon footprint by helping them to strategise their initiatives for greater production and usage of energy efficient products.

Usage of energy efficiency products would help India conserve energy which in turn would help to achieve sustained and sustainable economic growth.

Implementing Organisation

CUTS Centre For International Trade, Economics & Environment (CUTS CITEE)
D–217, Bhaskar Marg, Bani Park,
Jaipur 302 016, India
Ph: +91.141.2282821,
Fx: +91.141.2282485
Email: citee@cuts.org
Web: http://www.cuts-citee.org/

There is now a growing realisation in India among policy makers, businesses, civil society organisations, and the public at large that the country would find it increasingly difficult to sustain its economic growth by using non-renewable sources of energy at the prevailing levels of energy efficiency. India’s energy strategy, therefore, needs to have two basic ingredients:

increasing reliance on renewable energy, and
initiatives for enhancing energy efficiency at various levels

Since infrastructure for producing renewable energy is at a nascent stage and it would take years for India to fully or even largely meet its increasing energy needs through renewable sources, promoting energy efficiency across sectors is perhaps the best strategy for avoiding energy scarcity. This, in turn, would result in:

sustained economic growth, and
protection of environment

There are two ways to promote energy efficiency:

promotion of consumption of energy efficient products and
adoption of energy efficient technology on the other

For enhanced energy efficiency of the country as a whole, there has to be a simultaneous increase in the production and consumption of energy efficient products. Importantly, it needs to be ensured that the consumers are aware of the benefits of purchasing energy efficient products, both from an economic and environmental point of view as well as the national perspective of conservation of scarce and possibly exhaustible sources of energy. Such awareness and concomitant consumer behaviour is a crucial determinant of use of energy efficient products.

To provide base for a strategy to promote energy conservation in India by correctly characterising the present status of awareness about the need for energy conservation; the use of energy efficient products; and the determinants of such use including barriers to increase usage of such products.

Below find a listing and elaboration of activities with the implementing agency and duration mentioned in parentheses.

Literature Review Report

A short report based on the information gathered during literature review would be prepared for internal reference by CUTS staff while preparing the survey questionnaire. This review would try to collate information about the following from books, journals, newspapers, magazine articles and online sources:

Results of past studies on consumer awareness about energy conservation in India
Stock taking of the effectiveness of the Standards and Labelling programme (S&L)
Results of studies which document the actual level of use of energy efficient appliances in the various mentioned functional
Awareness of producers and traders about consumer behaviour and perceptions in regard to the mentioned areas
Analysis of sociological, political and economic barriers which restrict either awareness of the need for energy conservation or the actual use of energy efficient products

Questionnaire for Survey

The questionnaire would be formulated after taking into account the literature review, with special effort being made to fill in the revealed gaps in knowledge and information on the bulleted areas mentioned above. The survey would also try to ascertain consumer awareness of the Energy Star Label of the Bureau of Energy Efficiency and the significance of such awareness for purchases by consumers.

Research/Survey Reports

The data collected would be analysed using suitable statistical methods. The results of the data analysis would be combined with those emerging from the literature review and dialogues with policy makers and BEE officials.

News articles

Write and disseminate press releases on project successes, project inaugurations, and significant developments happening within the project, and ensure press coverage of the project events.

Event reports

Event reports would be drafted after every event organized under the project covering an overview of the event.

Other publications

Based on the final report, a number of related outputs will be produced, which will be circulated among relevant groups for wider dissemination. For example, CUTS will publish policy options notes and one-page notes to provide specific findings and recommendations drawn from the study for ready reference of policy makers, producers and other stakeholders. These will also be circulated through CUTS’ web-based discussion forum (CUTSTradeForum) which has approximately 4800 members drawn from the relevant Indian and International community.

To determine the existing level of consumer awareness regarding need for energy conservation and extent of use of energy efficient products in various functional categories
To use the above as well as results of past surveys to determine trends in such consumer awareness and use of energy efficient appliances
To use the results pertaining to trends and current levels of use and awareness for recommending changes in policy and practice.

The project will be guided by an international project advisory committee (PAC) comprising of experts in the field: environment & energy & power sector, economists, and practitioners and representatives of donors and inter-governmental organisations. The research methodology and process of project implementation will be discussed between the project management unit at CUTS, PAC and the surveying agency at the launch meeting of the project.

The PAC will play the following roles:

Providing inputs from the beginning of the project in order to enrich the project planning and implementation process.
Reviewing research documents and other outputs of the project, from time to time.
Engaging in the capacity building activities

Evaluation of the achievements of the project in terms of raising awareness and building capacity will be on qualitative basis. In addition to the quality of publications and records of events held:

After all project meetings (Launch, Capacity building workshops and Final), there will be a consistent programme to accumulate evaluation feedback, which will then be compiled to provide an insight into the achievements of the events, as well as the effects on the audience.