Energy saving in Italian households: Perceptions, motivations and behaviours

Household energy consumption is an important determinant of overall energy demand. To improve individual energy-related behaviours, it is crucial to first understand why people may not be engaging in these behaviours, in other words, to diagnose the behavioural problems.We conducted an online behavioural diagnosis of energy-saving behaviours in Italian households, with a representative sample of N=400 adults. The aim was to assess (i) awareness of energy-saving behaviours, (ii) perceptions of effectiveness of such behaviours, (iii) actual and planned energy-saving behaviours, and (iv) motivations and barriers for these behaviours.We found that the Italian households made efforts to save energy during the global energy crisis in 2022, mostly in terms of small adjustments to their everyday energy-related behaviours, while omitting some potentially more efficient energy-saving actions. Energy security and environmental reasons mattered, but monetary reasons were nevertheless the leading motivation to save energy at home. Misperceptions about efficiency of energy-saving actions related mostly to heat pumps.These and other findings offer insights into the Italian citizens’ knowledge gaps, behaviours, barriers and motivations related to saving energy in their homes, and can be used to design effective interventions. Thus, they are of interest not only to researchers, but also to policy-makers.