Energy-Saving Behaviour: A Project Level Perspective

Abstract

This thesis examines how to motivate people in Saudi Arabia, a country encountering energy sustainability challenges, to employ energy-saving practices. It explores the influence of awareness, behaviour change, attitudes, and renewable energy technologies on energy-saving behaviours associated with curtailment, efficiency, and maintenance. Furthermore, it studies how communication failures between stakeholders and energy conservation efforts impact energy-saving activities. The investigation fills a number of research gaps, including geographical disparities, data-gathering problems, barriers, motivators, and use of advanced models. A more enhanced understanding of energy-saving practices and environments is urgently required. To encourage energy conservation, the study's methodology involves analysing awareness, renewable energy technology, and cultural factors. A combination of quantitative and qualitative techniques, including interviews and questionnaires, was deployed to gather data. In the qualitative analysis, a questionnaire was carried out with a sample size of 259 individuals in Saudi Arabia. The quantitative analyses consisted of using SPSS for hierarchies and correlations, AMOS for structural equation modelling (SEM) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) models, and NVivo for the analysis of qualitative interview data. The research identified independent variables such as energy conservation, energy efficiency, maintenance, awareness, behavioural change programmes, attitudes, and renewable energy technologies. These variables mediate the relationship between the factors impacting energy-saving behaviour and the effect of stakeholder communication failures and energy conservation efforts. The dependent variable is energy savings. The research revealed complex relationships among the variables. Energy-saving behaviour is determined by efficiency and curtailment, while maintenance has a negligible effect. The mediation analysis shows complex interdependencies, confirmed by multiple regression. The SEM analysis suggests that efficiency and curtailment behaviours have significant effects on energy-saving behaviour, while maintenance behaviour has a minimal effect. The study shows that energy-saving behaviour is significantly impacted by awareness. A hierarchical regression enhanced model was a fit through the addition of curtailment, efficiency, and stakeholder communication failure interaction factors. Maintenance and stakeholder failure are significant, but stakeholder communication failure influences the effect of curtailment and efficiency on energy-saving behaviour. The interview-based qualitative research identified four main themes: Knowledge, Attitude towards Positive Change, Stakeholder Intervention, and Energy Efficiency Sustainability. The Energy-Saving Behaviour interviews reported positive attitudes to sustainable practices, highlighting the role of knowledge. Energy-saving behaviour promotion requires stakeholder interventions, including community-led efforts, emphasising the demand for better communication. Further research is required to fully explore the multifaceted effects of energy-saving activities in various settings and with various stakeholders. A more effective future in energy conservation via comprehensive approaches to attitudes, behaviours, and psychology, can be anticipated.