De nombreux aspects des transitions énergétiques propres dépendent du comportement: la façon dont les individus utilisent l’énergie dans leur vie quotidienne, les appareils qu’ils choisissent d’acheter ainsi que les décisions d’investissement des entreprises et le comportement du personnel. Les faits montrent que des politiques bien conçues, fondées sur les sciences comportementales, peuvent ouvrir des possibilités considérables en matière de consommation responsable de l’énergie. De nombreuses campagnes se concentrent avec succès sur la protection de l’environnement et les économies réalisées, mais l’éthique et les valeurs, y compris les principes et enseignements religieux, ou encore la philosophie peuvent également inciter à changer de comportement.  

La sensibilisation des consommateurs à travers la fourniture de données facilement accessibles et compréhensibles constitue une première étape importante vers une action axée sur la consommation. Par exemple, Opower a lancé un programme pilote avec les entreprises de distribution d’énergie à New Delhi (Inde) en vue de fournir des rapports sur l’énergie domestique aux consommateurs résidentiels avec des comparaisons entre pairs, ce qui s’est avéré efficace non seulement pour réaliser des économies d’énergie, mais aussi pour instaurer un climat de confiance entre les ménages et les fournisseurs d’électricité. Des pays comme le Japon, la Malaisie, la Norvège et les États-Unis ont également obtenu des résultats positifs en matière d’économies d’énergie grâce à des rapports sur l’énergie domestique établissant des comparaisons de consommation entre ménages similaires d’un même quartier.  

Les sciences comportementales sont également susceptibles d’améliorer la portée des informations fournies par les campagnes et les étiquettes des produits. À cette fin, les étiquettes énergétiques de l’UE ont récemment été repensées pour améliorer leur clarté et leur influence en se fondant sur la recherche comportementale. Les plateformes publiques peuvent elles aussi encourager les citoyens à changer de comportement, par exemple la campagne Count Us In dans le cadre du pacte européen pour le climat. Ailleurs, au Sénégal, l’AEME a lancé une initiative en coordination avec les administrations scolaires nationales afin d’enseigner aux élèves les meilleures pratiques en matière de consommation responsable d’énergie.  

Les mécanismes de retour d’information s’avèrent également efficaces. La mise en évidence, de manière claire et simple, des économies financières liées à l’amélioration de l’efficacité énergétique donne de bons résultats, comme le prouve la nouvelle application pour smartphone du Bureau de l’efficacité énergétique en Inde, qui évalue les économies monétaires permises par un appareil efficace afin d’aider les consommateurs à comprendre les étiquettes énergétiques et les avantages de l’efficacité énergétique.  

Un soutien politique fort afin de rendre les avantages visibles pour les consommateurs et les entreprises est nécessaire pour les aider à faire des choix plus positifs pour le climat et pour lutter contre l’inertie existante et la force de l’habitude.  

• La Norvège a su promouvoir efficacement l’adoption de véhicules électriques grâce à des signaux de prix et à d’autres avantages, tels que le stationnement gratuit, afin de s’assurer le soutien durable des consommateurs.
• Le système des voitures de société de la Belgique a été réformé pour faire en sorte que seuls les véhicules à émissions nulles bénéficient des avantages fiscaux accordés pour les voitures de société à partir de 2026.
• Le PNEC de l’Espagne inclut une mesure visant à créer des zones à faibles émissions dans ses villes afin d’encourager un transfert modal abordable vers le vélo, la marche et les transports publics grâce à une collaboration avec les municipalités pour transformer les infrastructures urbaines.
• Le Royaume-Uni a introduit des plaques d’immatriculation spéciales pour les véhicules électriques afin de promouvoir un changement des normes sociales en faveur de la conduite de modèles électriques.
• À Jakarta, l’installation de systèmes de paiement numériques et d’information en temps réel sur les transports en commun aux arrêts de train et de bus a permis de réduire les perceptions négatives relatives aux temps d’attente et d’accroître le nombre d’usagers.
  

OPower home energy reports in India

BSES Rajdhani Power Limited undertook India’s first large-scale behavioural energy efficiency pilot programme, using Oracle Utilities’ Opower tool to send personalised Home Energy Reports (HERs) to a representative group of 200 000 customers in southern and western Delhi. All 200 000 representative consumers received: (i) bi-monthly paper reports, (ii) a web and mobile application available throughout the day to analyse consumption patterns and see peer-to-peer comparisons, and (iii) electronic home energy reports sent out on monthly basis. Estimated energy savings in the bills of the HER recipients compared to non-recipients is in the range of 1-3%

EU energy labels

The EU Energy Labelling Framework Regulation sets out rules and procedures for establishing energy labelling requirements for energy-related products to be placed on the EU market (regardless of their origin). Energy Labelling aims to provide consumers with information about the environmental performance of products, with ratings currently from A+++ to G based on energy savings (categories are in the process of being gradually adjusted to a simpler and stricter A to G scale). This not only provides incentives for industry to develop more efficient products and innovations beyond the minimum eco-design levels, it also provides consumers with information to make informed choices based on their consumption needs and to identify energy savings opportunities. EU energy labels and eco-design are estimated to deliver energy savings of 230 million tonnes of oil equivalent by 2030, or EUR 285 annually for the average consumer on their household energy bills. In a 2019 survey, 93% of consumers recognised the energy labels and 73% of them indicated that the labels helped inform their purchase decisions.

Count Us In campaign

Count Us In is a global communications campaign with the goal to inspire one billion citizens to reduce carbon pollution. Designed to engage a mass “non-activists” audience, it is an online platform that includes 16 simple steps citizens can take to reduce their carbon footprint and persuade others around them to do the same. Steps include reducing plane travel, reducing food waste and meat consumption, starting conversations on carbon pollution with friends and colleagues, etc. Individuals, staff and communities who subscribe to each step can track their progress together, which are counted as part of a global Count Us In aggregator of actions addressing the climate crisis. The initiative recently collaborated with the European Climate Pact to mobilise EU citizens to take these steps by launching a multilingual version of the Count Us In platform. 

Mobile app for energy efficient products in India

India’s Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) launched a mobile app that serves as an awareness and outreach medium under the Standards and Labelling (S&L) programme of BEE for efficient appliances. The app has enabled consumers to compare products based on energy efficiency and monetary cost savings from labelled appliances versus a baseline product, helping make more informed decisions. The app serves the dual purpose of helping consumers compare available products as well as enabling manufacturers to register their energy efficient labelled products and track their progress, thus making the process easier for local manufacturers. All new announcements and updates about the S&L programme and appliances are circulated to the consumers as push messages from the app, thus keeping them steadily informed. 

Norway’s electric vehicle incentives

Norway has gradually introduced incentives for zero-emissions vehicles since the 1990s and currently has a target stating that 100% of new passenger cars and light goods vehicles sold be zero-emissions (electric or hydrogen) by 2025. The incentives were wide-ranging to stimulate consumer uptake. Tax incentives include a progressive tax on vehicles based on their weight and emissions, which makes EVs more economical for consumers. EVs are not only exempt from emissions taxes, but also from a VAT on purchases and leases. In addition, the government incentivises demand for EVs through exemptions or a minimum 50% reduction in road taxes and tolls. Moreover, incentives for EVs also include lower parking fees and access to bus lanes, all of which are designed to increase the consumer appeal of EVs over fossil fuel-based vehicles. Based on the effect of the incentives currently in place, Norway expects to achieve its EV target through promoting a shift in consumer preferences toward EVs, without imposing an official ban on the sale of fossil fuel vehicles. As a result of the incentives, over 60% of new vehicles sold in Norway so far in 2021 were electric, bringing the total EV vehicle fleet to more than 400 000 cars. 

Belgium’s zero-emissions vehicle incentives for company cars

Belgium is reforming its company car system to ensure that from 2026 onwards only zero-emissions vehicles will benefit from the fiscal benefits offered to company cars. Belgium will be slowly phasing out fiscal benefits for internal combustion engine vehicles in the hope that more people will take up non-polluting vehicles. Belgium also wants to increase the number of charging stations around the country and will offer a tax deduction to companies investing in a public charging station. In order to support rapid uptake, Belgium will reduce the benefits over time. For example, the fiscal deduction on zero-emissions company cars will be 100% for vehicles bought in 2026, then will progressively decrease to reach 67.5% from 2031 onwards.

Spain’s low emissions zones

Under its National Energy and Climate Plan for 2021-2030 and the Climate Change and Energy Transition Law that was approved in May 2021, the Spanish government plans to work with local governments to discourage the use of private vehicles in favour of shared use systems and other modes of transport such as walking and cycling. Measures will include the establishment of low-emissions zones, restrictions on private transport (such as restricted access in concentrated urban zones for polluting vehicles), and increased spending on public transport and related infrastructure, all of which are designed to encourage behavioural change that supports emissions reductions and efficiency improvements in the transport sector. The estimated energy savings for this measure is 5 622.9 ktoe of cumulative final energy savings in the 2021-30 period and its total cost is projected to be EUR 3.14 billion in public investment.

UK green licence plates

As part of its efforts to move toward a net zero future and end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030, the UK government introduced green licence plates, which include a green flash on the left-hand side of the plate to raise awareness about clean energy vehicles. The government also expects that the initiative will help drivers benefit from local incentives such as access to cheaper parking and entry into zero-emissions zones, all of which will motivate greater uptake of electric vehicles. The first plates were introduced on UK roads in December 2020 and can be retrofitted onto existing zero-emissions vehicles. Research conducted by Nissan and YouGov found that 32% of people surveyed indicated they were more likely to purchase an EV because of the green strip. 

Jakarta Smart City

The Jakarta Smart City initiative has offered some important solutions to Jakarta’s energy and urban challenges. To reduce congestion and GHG emissions, Jakarta has integrated public transport management and payment systems to provide reliable, safe and affordable services. Authorities are thereby transforming the city from car dependency to transit-oriented development. The increased ease and predictability of public transport has helped increase ridership. Under PT JakLingko Indonesia, this comprehensive integration process increased the number of Transjakarta users from around 397 000 per day in December 2017 to just over 1 million per day in February 2020. It also allows the provincial government to collect data on 2.5 million passengers in the Greater Jakarta Area (Jabodetabek) and perform analytics on urban mobility to support continued increases in ridership.