Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

How Do Limbo Dancing, Landlords and Students’ Energy Habits Link to EfSD? A Student Green Fund Case Study

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Integrative Approaches to Sustainable Development at University Level

Part of the book series: World Sustainability Series ((WSUSE))

  • 1309 Accesses

Abstract

University students who live in privately rented houses account for nearly 42 % of the student population in the UK, and the majority live in relatively old housing stock which is energy inefficient requiring infrastructure improvements to make them more thermally efficient. The student landlord market is a stand-alone sector with some specific challenges including the high turnover of tenants and issues around who pays the fuel bill. This project described and critiqued in this paper is focused on a set of guiding interventions designed to help undergraduate students to save energy at home by changing their behaviour, alongside encouraging property owners to make infrastructure improvements. This paper presents a case study on University of Worcester Students’ Union’s (WSU) behaviour change project funded through the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)’s Student Green Fund (SGF). It aims to develop a cost effective model to assist university students to learn and develop energy saving behaviours. Competition on a bespoke student facing software platform, regular incentives and easy to understand reports are part of a multidimensional approach to this intended behaviour change. The overall goal of the programme design is to identify best or most effective practice and develop opportunities to engage with wider employability and academic skills in a number of disciplines. This project runs for 2 years from October 2013 in Worcester, UK with Birmingham Guild of Students a partner in year two to test the potential for replication of the same model elsewhere.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Alden J (2006) Measuring the “Unmeasurable”. Performance Improv 45(5):7–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Allcott H, Mullainathan S (2010) Behaviour science and energy policy. Energy policy. http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.208.5738&rep=rep1&type=pdf. Accessed 14 March 2014

  • AECOM (2011) Energy demand research project: final analysis. Office for gas, electricity markets. Hertfordshire. Ofgem. https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/59105/energy-demand-research-project-final-analysis.pdf. Assessed 10 March 2014

  • Bell S, McGeevor K, Mocca E, Shaw B (2013) Synthesis report: review of evidence on the use of reward and recognition schemes in enhancing recycling and waste prevention behaviours (EV0528). Policy Studies Institute, Defra, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Benders R, Kok R, Moll H, Wiersma G, Noorman K (2005) New approaches for household energy conservation-In search of personal household energy budgets and energy reduction options. Energy Policy 34:3612–3622

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Behr RL, Iyengar S (1985) Television news, real-world cues, and changes in the public agenda. Publ Opin Q 49:38–57

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berman P (1978) Designing implementation to match policy situation: a contingency analysis of programmed and adaptive implementation. RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • BRE (2005a). Energy use in homes (energy efficiency report): a series of reports on domestic energy use in England. Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs. London, Defra. http://www.bre.co.uk/filelibrary/pdf/rpts/EnergyEfficiency.pdf. Assessed 20 March 2014

  • BRE (2005b) Energy use in homes (energy summary report): a series of reports on domestic energy use in England. London. Defra. https://www.bre.co.uk/filelibrary/pdf/rpts/EnergySummaryReport.pdf. Assessed 20 March 2014

  • Bouzarovski S, Petrova S, Kitching M, Baldwick J, Hayman B, Hörschelmann K (2012) Fuel Poverty among young adults in multiple occupancy housing: preliminary research findings and recommendations. Energy, Society and Place Research Unit School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of Birmingham. http://espru.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/enyafinalreport.pdf. Accessed 09 April 2014

  • Christensen CM (2004) Seeing what’s next: using the theories of innovation to predict industry change. Harvard Business School Press, Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • Clayton S, Myers G (2009) Conservation psychology: understanding and promoting human care for nature. Wiley-Blackwell, Oxford, pp 24–26

    Google Scholar 

  • Darby S (2008) Why, what, when, how, where and who? developing UK policy on metering, billing and energy display devices. Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford. http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/research/energy/downloads/darby08-aceee.pdf. Accessed 02 March 2014

  • Darby S (2010) Literature review for the energy demand research project. Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford. https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/59113/sd-ofgem-literature-review-final-081210.pdf. Accessed 05 March 2014

  • De Laguna GA (1962) The role of teleonomy in evolution. Philos Sci 29(2):117–131

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Drayson R, Bone E, Agombar J, Kemp S (2013) Student attitudes towards and skills for sustainable development. Higher Education Academy (HEA). http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/documents/sustainability/ESD_student_attitudes_2013_v4.pdf. Accessed 14 March 2014

  • DCLG (2014) English housing survey: headline report 2012–2013. Department for Community and Local Government. ISBN: 978-1-4098-4152-4. London, DCLG

    Google Scholar 

  • DECC (2010). The green deal: a summary of the government’s proposals. Department of Energy and Climate Change, Ref: 10D/996. London, DECC

    Google Scholar 

  • DECC (2012) DECC local authority funds: DECC local authority competition 2012–2013. Department of Energy and Climate Change, URN 12D/397. London, DECC

    Google Scholar 

  • DECC (2013) Quarterly energy prices. Department of Energy and Climate Change. URN 14D/276A, London, DECC. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/296011/QEP_March_2014.pdf. Accessed 20 March 2014

  • DECC (2014) UK Energy Statistics-2013 provisional data. Department of Energy and Climate Change, Statistical Press Release Ref: 2014/012. London, DECC

    Google Scholar 

  • DeWaters JE, Powers SE, Graham M (2007) Developing an Energy literacy scale. In: Proceedings of the 114th annual ASEE conference and exposition. Honolulu, HI, June 23–38, 2007, paper number AC 2007-1069

    Google Scholar 

  • Frederick S, Loewenstein G, O’Donoghue T (2002) Time discounting and time preference: a critical review. J Econ Lit 40:351–401

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goodman J, Drayson R (2014) “Homes fit for study: the states of student housing in the UK” London: National Union of Students. http://www.nus.org.uk/Global/Homes%20Fit%20For%20Study/Housing%20research%20report_web.pdf. Accessed 24 March 2014

  • Grønhøj A, Thøgersen J (2011) Feedbacks on household electricity consumption: learning and social influence processes. Int J Consum Stud 35:138–145

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • HEFCE (2013) Sustainable development in higher education: consultation on a framework for HEFCE. London: Higher Education Funding Council for England. http://www.hefce.ac.uk/media/hefce/content/pubs/2013/201331/2013_31.pdf. Accessed 07 March 2014

  • Mintzberg H (1978) Patterns in strategy formulation. Manage Sconce 24(3):934–948

    Google Scholar 

  • Mintzberg H, Ahlstand B, Lampel J (1998) Strategy safari: a guided tour through the wilds of strategic management. Free Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Neuner M (2000) Collective prototyping: a consumer policy strategy to encourage ecological marketing. J Consum Policy 23(2):153–175

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palmer J, Cooper I (2013) United Kingdom housing energy fact file 2013. London: Department of Energy and Climate Change. URN: 13D/276

    Google Scholar 

  • Runhaar H, Dieperink C, Driessen P (2006) Policy analysis for sustainable development: the toolbox for the environmental social scientist. Int J Sustain High Educ 7(1):34–56

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seiling J, Hinrichs G (2005) Mindfulness and constructive accountability as critical elements of effective sense making. Organ Dev J 23(3):82–88

    Google Scholar 

  • Shen J, Yang H, Cao H, warfield C (2008) The fidelity-adaptation relationship in non-evidence-based programs and its implication for program evaluation. Evaluation 14(4):467–481

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sidani S, Sechrest L (1999) Putting program theory into operation. Am J Eval 20(2):227–238

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steenhaut S, van Kenhove P (2006) The mediating role of anticipated guilt in consumers’ ethical decision-making. J Bus Ethics 69:269–288

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thøgersen J (2006) Media attention and the market for “green” consumer products. Bus Strategy Environ 15(3):145–156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thøgerson J (2011) Green shopping: for selfish reasons or the common good. Am Behav Sci 55(8):1052–1076

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Verplanken B, Wood W (2006) Interventions to break and create consumer habits. Am Mark Assoc 25(1):90–103

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Worcester Students’ Union, Sustainability Department, Worcester Business School, University of Worcester, Henwick Grove, Worcester, WR2 6AJ, England

    Peng Li & Katy Boom

  2. Stichting Euregio University College , Aalten, Gelderland, Netherlands

    Paul Davis

Authors
  1. Peng Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Katy Boom
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Paul Davis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Peng Li .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Environmental Science, HAW Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, Passo Fundo University, Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Luciana Brandli

  3. Business School, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom

    Olga Kuznetsova

  4. Department of Business and Economics, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal

    Arminda Maria Finisterra do Paço

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Li, P., Boom, K., Davis, P. (2015). How Do Limbo Dancing, Landlords and Students’ Energy Habits Link to EfSD? A Student Green Fund Case Study. In: Leal Filho, W., Brandli, L., Kuznetsova, O., Paço, A. (eds) Integrative Approaches to Sustainable Development at University Level. World Sustainability Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10690-8_7

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation