Triggers of electricity-use efficiency amongst low-income households in Kumasi, Ghana

Abstract

The Fogg Behaviour Model suggests that for behaviour to occur, motivation, ability and a trigger must interact at the same time. Using this framing, this paper investigates and reflects on the triggers of energy use behaviour amongst low-income urban households in Kumasi, the second largest city in Ghana within the broader framing of sustainable energy transition. The research adopted the transdisciplinary approach. Selected households voluntarily participated in the research project implemented over a period of 2 years. Households were grouped into full-treatment, partial-treatment, and control groups. A co-designed intervention was introduced to the full treatment group. This paper observes and reflects on the energy behaviour of the full treatment group before, during and after the intervention using the Fogg Behaviour Model. The paper concludes that ‘saving money’ is a key trigger toward electricity use efficiency amongst low-income urban households. Consequently, an energy transition programme amongst low-income households might be effective if designed around this theme.

Keywords

• Energy efficiency
• Triggers
• Behaviour
• Low-income households