The Role of Attitudes and Beliefs on the Electrical Energy Consumption of Households in Iran

Abstract

The average of electricity consumption of Iranian households is higher than the global average. This could be due to price factors (such as low cost of electricity in Iran) and non-price factors (such as socio - demographic and psychological factors). In this study, the role of non-price factors such as socio - demographic and psychological factors in the electricity consumption of urban households evaluated in Tehran. In this regard, using theoretical principles of behavioral economics and theory of planned behavior (TPB( analysis will discuss this topic. The purpose of the mentioned factors is providing non-price policies for more efficient type of household electricity consumption in Iran. The data on household consumption behavior through questionnaires and based on field data collected from 200 households in Tehran. Then, using linear regression is estimated based on econometrics techniques in which the dependent variable is electricity consumption (a 45-day period in Winter 2017) and the independent variables included socio-demographic variables: age, gender, size of family, income and the theory of planned behavior variables include attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control have been. The results showed that income and the number of household members is a significant and positive effect on electricity consumption, but the gender has no significant effect. Psychological variables perceived behavioral control has a significant effect on electricity consumption. Finally, with using behavioral biases that may cause attitudes and beliefs do not lead to action, the results of the study were analyzed.

Keywords

• household energy consumption
• theory of planned behavior (tpb)