Household preferences for load restrictions: Is there an effect of pro-environmental framing?

Thomas Broberg, Aemiro Melkamu Daniel and Lars Persson

Energy Economics, 2021, vol. 97, issue C

Abstract: In this paper, we investigate whether a pro-environmental framing influences households' stated willingness to accept restrictions on their electricity use. We use a split-sample choice experiment and ask respondents to choose between their current electricity contract and hypothetical contracts featuring various load controls and a monetary compensation. Our results indicate that the framing makes respondents marginally less likely to prefer their current contracts. We find significant pro-environmental framing effect related to a few contract attributes, particularly the framing reduces respondents' willingness-to-accept compensation for the number of days with load control and for flexibility to choose appliances for load control. The results further show that the framing affects respondents who do not perform pro-environmental activities. Our finding suggests that a pro-environmental message, which is inexpensive to include in a proposed contract, may influence the preferences of people who are less engaged in pro-environmental activities.

Keywords: Choice experiment; Demand response; Electricity contract; Load management; Pro-environmental framing; Willingness to accept (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C25 D83 Q51 Q54 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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Working Paper: Household Preferences for Load Restrictions: Is There an Effect of Pro-Environmental Framing? (2019)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:97:y:2021:i:c:s0140988321000931

DOI: 10.1016/j.eneco.2021.105188

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