Do energy-saving “champions” reduce household electricity consumption? A study of Japanese households

Given that family members influence one another's daily behaviours, the presence of a family member who takes the initiative in practicing everyday energy-saving practices, such as turning off the lights when unused, may significantly enhance the household's overall energy efficiency and conservation performance. However, literature on the effects of such “energy-saving champions” on actual household electricity consumption is rare. We designed a tailored survey on 732 couples living in Japan. We used household survey data to examine whether the presence of energy-saving champions, identified as the wife, the husband, or both, affects actual electricity consumption. We employed a seemingly unrelated regression that independently estimates the maximum likelihood of the two-stage model, accounting for both endogeneity and unobserved heterogeneity. Results indicate that having a champion in the family leads to reduced household electricity consumption. Notably, female champions would have more substantial effects on electricity consumption than male champions. The effects of the female energy-saving championship are robust, as our model controls for various factors related to family structure, income, housing conditions, the use of electrical devices, and weather conditions. While a higher educational level among wives may reduce their direct efforts to conserve energy due to increased household income, it also enhances the likelihood of them becoming advocates for energy efficiency. Overall, this dynamic promotes energy conservation.