Assistant Professor

Department of Family and Community Resource Management, Faculty of Family and Community Sciences

The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda

 Vadodara, Gujarat, India 

Temporary Assistant Professor

Department of Family and Community Resource Management, Faculty of Family and Community Sciences

The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda

Vadodara, Gujarat, India

Abstract

Energy has been universally recognized as one of the most important inputs for economic growth and human development. The energy problems of the world are manifested in a large range of activities and modern economic systems are greatly dependent on energy supplies. The changed lifestyles and human values have increased dependence on large quantities of energy use, both in developed and developing countries. The rapid increase in energy prices are clearly indicating that the era of cheap and abundant energy, especially oil is over. The cost of energy is now becoming increasingly significant relative to the costs of other factor inputs such as capital, labour and land. The energy crisis have shown that when demand for energy exceeds supply, rapid price rises and economic dislocations occurs, especially in the short run when the economy is unable to suit to the new situation. People in general are now becoming conscious of the role of energy in human life. Hence, the present study was undertaken to ascertain energy consumption behavior and factors influencing it. The study also focused to find out the social responsibility of the respondents towards energy consumption. 150 employed homemakers were the respondents. Descriptive research design was adopted for the present study to collect data from 150 employed women of Vadodara city selected through purposive random sampling technique. A pre validated questionnaire was used for the data collection containing two sections apart from background information viz. “Energy consumption behavior of Employed Women”. The other section comprised of statements reflecting their opinions regarding energy conservation. The findings revealed that less than two third of the respondents always used natural light to the fullest and also avoided unnecessary loading of their vehicles. Slightly less than three fourth of the respondents never kept television ‘ON’ even if the programme was not of their interest. These reflected their good energy consumption behavior. More than two third of the employed women sometimes kept the refrigerator open for a long time while removing or putting the food items from the refrigerator. This showed their poor energy consumption behavior. The findings also revealed that less than two third of the respondents reflected favorable opinion towards energy conservation because they opined that energy consumption needs good energy management habits. It was also found that slightly more than one half of the respondents had unfavorable opinion towards energy conservation as they opined that there should be no restriction of energy consumption at houses and public places like school, college, etc. and also discouraged the use of fuel efficient equipment’s. Thus it is clear from the finding that more favorable opinion one possess towards energy consumption more energy consumption behaviors will be reflected in their practices. The study will help in sensitizing the masses towards positive opinion for energy conservation which will definitely lead to good energy consumption behavior.

Keywords: environment, fuel, employed women, energy consumption behavior, social responsibility. 

Introduction

In 2007, the reports of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) clarified that climate change is caused by anthropogenic actions. The report also clarified that counteractions are imperative if one wants to limit the consequences of climate change, which are already being experienced in different parts of the world, to an extent that society can cope with. As urbanization rates increase worldwide, greenhouse gas emissions are steadily increasing. These developments call for new concepts of climatically sustainable urban development. Since approximately 80% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions are currently being produced in cities, the consequences of climate change can only be considerably reduced through a massive reduction of energy consumption and increased energy efficiency. This includes massive changes to individual energy consumption behavior, towards more sustainable energy consumption, but also new concepts of energy-efficient urban planning and building, which are accepted and valued by the people (BMU/IPCC/BMBF, 2007).

Today, the discussion about the reasons and consequences of climate change is taking place on various levels, but is only marginally reaching the population. Attempts to change consumption behavior, in order to adapt to and mitigate the consequences of climate change, are unreasonable without considering the question of whether and in which ways climate change matters to people and of which aspects are hindering or supporting the change of energy consumption behavior in a given context (Schröder 2013). Therefore, it is necessary to analyze current energy consumption behavior to be able to develop urban concepts that support energy-efficient and ecologically sustainable lifestyles.

Energy is a key element in the overall efforts to achieve sustainable development. The increased population and economic development have raised the energy consumption in the past few decades. The earthen society has completely transformed into throwaway society by adopting highly intensive and unsustainable lifestyle. Some studies have shown a positive relationship between economic growth and energy consumption (Dincer, & Dost, 1997; Kadoshin, et al. 2000; Egerlioglu et al. 2001) Unsustainable consumption patterns are increasing water and air pollution, land and forest poverty, waste generation and the use of harmful chemical substances. Household consumption patterns, and the drivers behind them, were poorly understood (OECD, 2002). Consumption levels and patterns of families are one of the primary drivers of sustainable consumption which is defined as “the use of goods and services that respond to basic needs and bring a better quality of life, while minimizing the use of natural resources, toxic materials and emissions of waste and pollutants over the life cycle, so as not to jeopardize the needs of future generations” (Grover, Hemmati & Flenley, 1999). From a historical perspective, consumption has been associated with women (Cowan, 1987; Game & Pringle, 1979). Indeed, women who are responsible for 80% of the consumption decision in households (Griffin, 2006; Kelan, 2008) and represent the largest group of consumers shopping for the daily needs of their families. Studies also shows that in families, women are responsible for purchasing almost all household goods, while men make more consumption decisions with regard to automobiles and holidays (Heinzle and Känzig, 2010). So women's consumption decisions regarding food, clothes, medicines, household goods, education, etc. are keys in determining the sustainable consumption behaviors and better understanding of the consumption decision making style of women is needed. A consumer decision-making style is defined as “a patterned, mental, cognitive orientation towards shopping and purchasing, which constantly dominates the consumer’s choices (Sproles, 1985). Women have a greater tendency to make sustainable consumption choices, e.g. eating less meat, or a showing preference for organic food (Heinzle and Känzig, 2010). Women show a higher engagement with environmental issues and a greater willingness to act to preserve the environment; women are more skeptical regarding new technologies and their potential impacts and risks and women act in a more environmentally friendly manner, e.g. they buy more environmentally sound products; their mobility behavior is less environmentally harmful because they drive cars less often, walk more and use public transport more often than men (Gender CC, 2014).

Energy is a key ingredient for social, economic and industrial development. Energy provides the means of lighting, transport, cooking, and other services to households, the smallest unit of the society. Cooking accounts for about 91 per cent of the total domestic energy consumption while lighting and other electrical appliances (such as TV, electric iron, computer, etc.,) take the remaining 6 per cent and 3 per cent, respectively (Oyedepo, 2012).

Household energy consumption contributes to almost 30% to the total final energy consumption and is, after transport, the second most rapidly growing area of energy use. Household electricity consumption has continued to grow with the increasing per capita income, resulting in the ownership of household appliances like air-conditioners, refrigerators, dishwashers, microwave ovens, washing machines and radio and television sets. Another factor, such as the changing role of women in society also becoming one of reason that influences the rising demand for electrical appliances. In the urban area, many women play a dual role as traditional housekeepers and wage earners to supplement the family income in order to cope with the rising cost of living. With limited time in hand, busy working women often rely on electrical gadgets to do some of their household chores like cooking, washing and cleaning. The early studies on consumerism agreed that the consumption and generation of electricity not only put pressure on the energy resources but on the other hand emit greenhouse gases (GHG) such as carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxide compounds (NOx) (ClasEriksson, 2003 and Li, 2011). An overview of the literature regarding domestic energy demand has found that an individual decision is very important in the context of sustainable consumption. Any energy consumption required an individual decision, and this is exactly the decision process in the centre of our interests, which we hopefully make more transparent.

Assessing the energy requirement of a household involves identifying the various energy consumption operations in the household and the associated appliances; such operations include cooking, water heating, dishwashing, cloth ironing, air conditioning and refrigeration, lighting, etc., the individual energy consumption of each of the identified appliances is recorded and a total sum is determined. Appropriate choices of energy mix are then made from available alternatives (BSR, 2012; IEA, 2014).
The household energy manager ensures that energy is consumed efficiently by setting
targets of energy efficiency indicators. The residential sector has been a focus of worldwide studies on energy conservation and public policies, due to the fact that the irrational use of energy has led to massive pollution, climate change and unsustainable development (Bilgen and Sarıkaya, 2018; Guo et al., 2018; Jia et al., 2018; Nahiduzzaman et al., 2018).

Since, urban living is highly intensive, it is important to understand energy interactions at different levels, so that information on this possible decoupling can be obtained (Chen et al., 2010). Chen et al. 2010 has pointed out that, in order to achieve a good balance among the economy, development, energy consumption and environmental quality, it is important to look into the actuality of residential energy consumption and its influence factors, so as to put forward reasonable countermeasures to impel energy conservation. Energy use in the residential sector, which account for about 15% of the world delivered energy consumption in 2006, is defined as the energy consumed by households, excluding transportation uses. The type and amount of energy used by households vary from country to country, depending on income levels, natural resources, climate and available energy infrastructure ⁽¹⁾. Understanding and changing household energy consumption behavior are considered as effective ways to improve energy efficiency and promote energy conservation. Keeping this in mind, the research was undertaken with the following objectives. 

Objectives of the Study

1. To ascertain the energy consumption practices of homemakers in reference to

a. Vehicles at their disposal

b. End uses like lighting, fans, Television, Refrigerators.

2. To assess the opinion of the respondents towards energy conservation 

Methodology

A descriptive survey was considered as the most appropriate research design for the study. Five residential societies were selected from different zones of Vadodara city. Questionnaire as a tool was developed for data collection. The sample for the present study was drawn from 150 employed women residing in Vadodara city, Gujarat, India through purposive sampling method. Those women were contacted who were employed and were willing to be part of the survey. The questionnaire consisted of three sections apart from Background Information namely “Energy Consumption practices” and “Opinion towards Energy Conservation”. The section related to “Energy Consumption practices” consisted of 19 statements related to energy consumption behavior in day to day life. It was Likert type summated rating scale having 3 point continuum to the responses ‘Always’, ‘Sometimes’ and ‘Never’ which were scored 3 through 1 respectively. Here high scores revealed good energy consumption practices. The section ‘Opinion towards Energy Conservation’ contained 20 statements related to energy conservation. It was Likert type summated rating scale having 5 point continuum for the responses ‘Strongly Agree’, ‘Agree’, ‘Neutral‘, ‘Disagree’ and ‘Strongly Disagree’. The scores ascribed were 5 through 1 respectively to the responses. Higher scores revealed favorable opinion towards energy conservation. The content validity of the scales was established by giving it to the panel of experts from the related field. The reliability of the scales was established through split-half method where the reliability scores obtained were 0.746 and 0.846. The questionnaires were personally distributed and collected by the researcher.

Major Findings

The findings of the study obtained through the analysis of the data supported interpretation are presented as follows.

a. Background Information: This section dealt with the personal and family information of the respondents.

The findings revealed that slightly less than one half of the respondents (48.57 %) were aged between 31 to 40 years. More than one-third (37.14%) of the respondents were of age 40 years and above. Slightly less than one-half of the respondents (48.57 %) were post graduates while more than one-third of the respondents (37.14%) had pursued graduation degree. Majority (80 %) of the respondents were from teaching profession. More than two-third (62.86%) had nuclear families while 31.43 per cent respondents were staying in joint families. Two-fifth (40%) of the respondents had monthly family income of Rs 1 lakh and above. Less than one-third of the respondents (31.43%) had monthly income ranging between Rs. 60,001 to Rs. 1,00,000. The findings of the vehicles in possession reflected that more than one-half of the respondents owned both types of vehicle i.e. two wheeler and four wheeler. There were 22.86 per cent of the respondents who possessed only four wheelers (Figure 1).

b. Amount spent on Electricity and Petrol: This section contained information related to the amount spent by them on electricity bill and petrol in a month.

The findings revealed that less than one-half of the respondents (48.57%) spent Rs. 6001 and more on electricity bi monthly while Rs. 3001 to Rs. 6000 per month was spent by 28.57 per cent of respondents. More than one half (57.14%) of the respondents spent Rs.  2501 to Rs 5000 monthly on petrol. Less than one fourth (22.86%) of the respondents spent Rs. 2500 or less monthly on petrol (Figure 2).

c. Energy Consumption Practices: It contained statements related to energy usage with reference to vehicles at their disposal and end users like lighting, fans, television and refrigerators. The responses to these statements were “Always”, “Sometimes” and “Never”. High scores revealed good energy consumption practices. The weighted mean for each statement was computed.

Table 1: Energy consumption practices of the respondents

Statements related to energy consumption practices	Respondents (n=150)			Weighted Mean (3 – 1)
	Always (%)	Sometimes (%)	Never (%)
I do not bother to see whether all the lights are switched off before going to bed	34.29	22.86	42.86	1.90
I use natural lighting to full advantages	65.71	34.29	0.00	2.66
As far as possible, I sit with other members in the family in the same room to use the same lighting	45.71	45.71	8.57	2.39
I do not  care to switch off the light and fans even if these are not in use	5.71	31.43	62.86	1.43
I do not care to wipe off the dusts, if it gets accumulated on the bulbs and tube lights	48.57	28.57	22.86	2.26
I keep Television ‘ON’ even if it is not of interest to me	5.71	20.00	74.29	1.32
I use a tray to collect all needed items at one time from the refrigerator	0.00	85.71	14.29	1.86
I keep the refrigerator open for a long time while removing or putting the items.	5.71	20.00	74.29	1.32
I use more of public transport.	31.43	54.29	14.29	2.16
I use my vehicle even for travelling for short distances.	20.00	54.29	25.71	1.94
I always stop my engine whenever the vehicle is not moving.	48.57	34.29	17.14	2.31
I tune the engine periodically.	48.57	31.43	20.00	2.29
I do not bother to get the vehicle is not moving.	20.00	17.14	62.86	1.57
I am irregular in getting the servicing done for my vehicle.	0.00	54.29	45.71	1.54
Whenever possible, I share my vehicle with my friends/ colleague to save fuel.	25.71	68.57	5.71	2.21
I do not care to decrease my social visits to save fuels.	5.71	60.00	34.29	1.72
I avoid unnecessary loading of my vehicle.	65.71	20.00	14.29	2.52
I do not bother going on vehicle during peak hours.	2.86	62.86	34.29	1.67
I get the air filter cleaned regularly for my vehicle.	62.86	28.57	8.57	2.54

The findings on energy consumption practices revealed that almost two- third of the respondents (65.71%) always used natural lighting to full advantages and avoided unnecessary loading of their vehicles. Less than two-third (62.86%) of the respondents always got the air filter cleaned regularly of their vehicle. Majority (85.71%) of the respondents were sometimes using tray to collect all needed items at one time from the refrigerator. While more than two-third (68.57%) of the respondents had sometimes shared their vehicle to save fuel. A little less than three-fourth of the respondents (74.29%)  never kept the television ‘ON’ even if it is not of their interest and also never kept the refrigerator open for a long duration of time while removing or putting the items. The weighted mean scores supported the findings (Table 1).

d.    Practices regarding energy Consumption: The practices regarding energy consumption were analyzed in terms of ‘Good’, ‘Moderate’ and ‘Poor’. The scores were obtained on the entire scale. The scores on each of the statements of the scale were summated and possible range of minimum and maximum scores were divided into three categories having equal intervals. The high scores were considered as Good practices related to energy consumption. The minimum and maximum range of possible score on the scale was 19-57.

Table 2: Energy consumption practices

Energy Consumption Practices	Range of Scores	Respondents (n=150) %
Good	(45-57)	13.33
Moderate	(32-44)	62.67
Poor	(19-31)	24

On analyzing the entire scale, it was found that two-third of respondents (62.67 %) exhibited moderate practices related to energy consumption. One-fourth (24%) of the respondents showed poor energy consumption practices (Table 2). Good energy consumption practices were found among 13.33 per cent of the respondents.

e. Opinion of respondents towards Energy Conservation: The energy consumption practices included the statements related to energy consumption behavior of the respondents related to use of television, refrigerator, vehicle etc.. 

Table 3: Opinion of the respondents towards energy conservation

Statements related to energy conservation	Respondents (n=150)			Weighted Mean (3 – 1)
	Agree (%)	Neutral (%)	Disagree (%)
Things should be done manually whenever possible instead of using power	74.29	20.00	5.71	2.68
Energy conservation should be restricted at houses and not in public places like schools, college etc.	8.57	82.86	8.57	2.00
Simple lifestyle where low energy is obvious should be adopted in the context of energy crisis.	57.14	11.43	2.86	1.97
Lifestyle should be changed in view of national needs.	37.14	42.86	20.00	2.17
Use of fuel efficient equipment’s should be discouraged	25.71	60.00	14.29	2.12
Each one of us would be able to help in solving the national energy problem	17.14	5.71	77.14	1.41
Energy conservation goal would be an obstacle to the economic progress of the country.	8.57	82.86	8.57	2.00
Energy economy should be given importance in selecting the vehicles.	77.14	5.71	17.14	2.61
Energy Efficiency should not be given importance in selecting the vehicles	40.00	54.29	5.71	2.34
Individual lighting should be used to do tasks by different members.	65.71	14.29	20.00	2.46
One should reduce the use of energy for cooling in summer by properly landscaping areas around the home.	60.00	22.86	17.14	2.43
One should not waste time in wiping off the dust, that gets accumulated on bulbs and fluorescent tubes.	22.86	65.71	11.43	2.11
Use of CNG as an alternative fuel to petrol should be given less importance.	34.29	22.86	42.86	1.90
Strict energy conservation should be done for the survival of man.	45.71	20.00	34.29	2.12
The energy problem should be ignored.	28.57	71.43	0.00	2.29
Each and every citizen should bring about change in their wasteful energy consumption behavior.	62.86	5.71	31.43	2.31
Energy consumption needs good energy management habits.	80.00	14.29	5.71	2.75
Students would be wasting their time if they participate in education program about energy conservation.	31.43	31.43	37.14	1.94
Energy saving responsibility will not be of much success, unless the entire citizens share in this adventure.	68.57	25.71	5.71	2.64
Students need not bear the responsibility of conservation energy resources.	25.71	74.29	0.00	2.26

The findings in table 3, revealed that majority (80%) agreed that “Energy consumption needs good energy management habits”, while more than three fourth (77.14%) of the respondents agreed that “Energy economy should be given importance in selecting the vehicles”. The data also reflected that majority (82.86%) of the respondents were neutral towards the statement that  “Energy conservation should be restricted at houses and not in public places like schools, colleges etc.” and “energy conservation goal would be an obstacle to the economic progress of the country”. More than three fourth (77.14%) of the respondents disagreed that “Each one of us would be able to help in solving the national energy problem” and 44.86 per cent respondents also disagreed that “Use of CNG as an alternative fuel to petrol should be given less importance” 

f. Opinion of respondents towards Energy Conservation: It was analyzed in terms of most favorable, somewhat favorable and least favorable based on the scores obtained on entire scale. The scores on each of the item of the scale were summated and possible range of minimum and maximum scores was divided into three categories having equal intervals. The high scores were considered as most favorable opinion towards energy conservation. The possible score on the scale was 20-60.

Table 4: Distribution of respondents according to their opinion towards Energy Conservation

Opinion towards Energy Conservation	Range of scores	Respondents (n=150) %
Most Favorable	49 - 60	10.00
Somewhat Favorable	34 - 48	71.33
Least Favorable	20 - 33	18.67

On analyzing the entire scale, it was observed that slightly less than three fourth (71.33%) of the respondents had somewhat favorable opinion towards energy conservation. Only 18.67 per cent of the respondents had most favorable opinion towards energy conservation while one-tenth of the respondents had least favorable opinion towards energy (Table 4).

Conclusion and Implications

The findings of the study concluded that the majority of the respondents had somewhat favorable opinion towards Energy Conservation reflected through their Energy Consumption Practices which was found to be of moderate extent. Today, most of the activities carried out in the house involve the use of appliances that consume electrical energy on a large scale. The increase in the numbers and variety of appliances used in houses together with improvements in technology have increased the standard of living of families but have also led to an increase in energy consumption. Nowadays, energy saving is one of the most important considerations in home management.  With the current depleting energy reserves and urban lifestyle, there is a need to sensitize the individuals regarding adopting good energy consumption behavior at home and work place. Changes in energy consumption practices may create a lifestyle that needs to consume less time and effort as well as less energy. Small changes in living habits and practices may save large amounts of money and energy. Thus, families and individuals, by reviewing their own energy use, can decide how energy can be used in the most productive way. The examination of practices with regard to energy saving is almost as important as the economic analysis of energy savings. Energy conservation practices have an important role to play in finding a solution, as well as being part of
the problem. Individuals may be ineffective in decreasing their energy consumption
because of insufficient or incorrect information together with incorrect practices. The family has an important role to play in forming individual values and practices.
Applications regarding more effective use of resources may be taught by daily
experience to the members of the family.

The results obtained from the survey gives clear implications for creating awareness among the masses regarding energy conservation which will aid in formulating energy consumption practices. The findings of the study will provide feedback to the product designers to improve and design consumer products which will be energy efficient in their use. The findings can be helpful to the government agencies in organizing energy saving awareness campaigns, formulating laws and policies related to energy consumption at each level.
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