More than ecological sensitivity as the bill increases
In the midst of the storm of rising energy prices, which has hit households and businesses with all the consequences for the economy that we know, the latest edition of our Italian ‘Green Home Smart Home Annual Tracking’ has shown a note of hope.
In this most recent iteration of the study, it was cheering to note that the curves of responsible energy behaviour are really taking off (we’re talking about turning off LEDs, keeping the heating to a minimum, etc.).
Source: Tracking Green Home Smart Home Italy | Eumetra | 2022
In previous years, although it seemed that the ecological sensitivity of the Italian population had grown largely only attitudinally i.e. whilst discussions on safeguarding the planet had become trending topics, words were not followed by deeds – behaviour was not noticeably changing .
But now something has shifted. In other words, it was only when we were noticeably hit in the wallet that we decided to implement a whole series of responsible practices aimed at saving on energy consumption. After all, what else can households do?
- Structural components. Let us assume that energy consumption is first and foremost a function of certain fixed components, such as the geographical and climatic zone of residence (living in the North or the South, by the sea or in the mountains makes a difference), the characteristics of the house (how big it is, etc.) and the structure of the family (number of members). These elements, therefore, are a prerequisite that cannot be changed.
- House equipment. What we can change are the endowments of our home, i.e. the systems and appliances, as well as the thermal insulation of the house and the windows and doors. And it is on this component that the ecobonuses have sought to leverage, i.e. to encourage investment in works and endowments that lead to greater energy efficiency. Beyond more demanding installations such as the heat pump or photovoltaic system, it is actually on equipment such as the boiler or water heater or air conditioner, or household appliances, that one can act by replacing old equipment with new, more technologically advanced, more energy-efficient equipment.
- Responsible behaviours. The third macro-component, which is also variable and which we can change, is our behaviour, i.e. those actions implemented in order to save energy that we described in the beginning of our article.
Having noted so many interesting findings in Italy, we look forward to uncovering similarly important insights when we roll the study out across other European markets – initially UK, France, Germany and Spain.
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