ABSTRACT
Energy conservation can be achieved both by technological improvement and by changing human energy consumption patterns. Few researchers have demonstrated the importance of the social and psychological aspects of human behavior for conserving energy, most of the time it is the technological improvements that are represented explicitly in energy efficiency studies. The main reason for this is that technology diffusion is an easy quantitative measure: the risk of assumptions can be reduced greatly, unlike the study of energy usage behavior. This entry emphasizes the human behavioral aspects that should be considered to achieve energy efficiency. The adverse environmental impact that is perceived now and anticipated in the future has its causal roots embedded in human behavior, which should not be ignored while considering the future of the planet. The review of existing literature shows strong support of the premise that human behavior has a significant influence on energy consumption. Being clear that human behavior is the cause (directly and indirectly) of energy consumption, this entry refers to the different behavioral influences of energy consumption, which are further categorized as personal, social, and economic.
