"We believe that there are small steps that every American can take that would have a tremendous cumulative impact on our national energy consumption," Burton G. Bettingen Foundation President George O’Neill, Jr. said. "While most are driven by the current economic crisis, a significant number also want to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. These two factors combined should serve as real motivators for using less energy and fuel."
Twenty-seven percent of respondents said that they see energy conservation as a way to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign oil.
The survey identified the four most common behaviors that Americans are currently doing to use less energy and fuel:
- turning off lights
- adjusting thermostats
- keeping tires inflated
- changing HVAC filters
The four things respondents are not currently doing, but are most willing to consider are:
- buying a more fuel efficient vehicle
- using major appliances during non-peak times
- reducing car idling
- walking or bicycling more often
While middle-income Americans have a positive attitude toward most energy efficient behaviors, one behavior stood out as a change that almost half are not willing to make: carpooling.
"Our research shows that a number of barriers make carpooling an unlikely solution to reducing fuel consumption in the United States," said Bruce Tonn, researcher at the Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment at the University of Tennessee. Tonn noted a number of reasons why people do not want to carpool, ranging from irregular work schedules to a need to run personal errands. "This study indicates that the resistance to carpooling is not going to change anytime soon, even with fluctuating fuel prices," he added.
Tonn, along with UT researcher Jean Peretz, co-authored a white paper commissioned by the Burton G. Bettingen Foundation, which identified the primary barriers that keep Americans from engaging in more energy efficient behaviors. The white paper identified three main categories of barriers: economic, social/psychological and technology adaptation.
"Targeted efforts across the nation have shown that consumer education and a sense of social responsibility lead to substantial voluntary changes in electricity demand," said Tonn. "It is important for people to know what they can do to save energy, but it is also important for them to know why."
The Burton G. Bettingen Foundation will use the national survey and the white paper to develop a comprehensive, grass roots education campaign to help increase energy efficient behaviors among middle-income Americans and their families.
"By overcoming the barriers to energy conservation facing middle Americans and arming them with information to help reduce their energy usage, we believe we can make a significant impact on the amount of energy used in this country and save millions of dollars at the same time," added O’Neill.
