Average energy consumption per U.S. household has fallen by just under 20% in the last ten years. Much of this drop occurred after 1979, when gas and electricity prices as well as oil prices rose in real terms. The response of households to higher prices has involved physical modifications on...

The paper deals primarily with energy used in residential and commercial buildings. The commonly used yardsticks for energy efficiency and conservation are the total amount of energy spent and the ratio of energy to GNP in individual countries. Both indicator are misleading. They lead to...

International comparisons of residential energy use have been hindered in the past by lack of data and common measuring systems. In this paper, we report on ongoing efforts to disaggregate data on residential space comfort and appliance energy use for major member countries of the Organization...

The work presented in this paper demonstrates that different subgroups in the population described by various economic and demographic characteristics have different levels of greenhouse gas emissions from personal automotive transportation. Further these characteristics may be assigned a rank...

We compare changes in the structure of residential electricity use in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden since the early 1970s. A major distinguishing feature among these countries has been consistent differences in the average residential price of electricity. We reach three important conclusions: (1)...

The core objective of this paper is to analyse the impact of changes in fuel intensity and car size on energy demand of passenger cars in EU-15 countries. Of special relevance in this context is how the rebound effect due to the change in car fuel intensity and car size (average engine power)...

Natural resource conservation through economic substitution mechanisms is an important response to constraints on the supplies of energy goods and materials that permits continued economic growth. “Conservation” is distinguished from “preservation” and connotes the rational adaptations...

Although economically rational responses to the energy crisis, energy conservation actions may be hindered by social and institutional barriers. The nature of these barriers is explored and a taxonomy of barriers is proposed. Results of a series of interviews provide examples of the different...

We present an extensive analysis of the structure and intensity of energy use in the USSR since 1960. After a brief review of the energy-supply situation in the USSR, we describe a detailed analysis of measures of sectoral and sub-sectoral activity in the industrial, transportation, residential,...

The structure of energy use in Poland and other former centrally-planned economies historically differed considerably from that in Western countries. With the transition toward market-oriented economies underway, changes have occurred, but most of the physical stock remains in place. We compare...