TITLE:
Policy-Making for Households Appliances-Related Electricity Consumption in Indonesia—A Multicultural Country
AUTHORS:
Muhammad Ery Wijaya, Tetsuo Tezuka
KEYWORDS:
Household; Energy Efficiency; Energy Saving; Decision-Making
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Energy Efficiency,
Vol.2 No.2,
June
14,
2013
ABSTRACT: Household energy consumption is strongly influenced by culture. Therefore, the study of the influence of culture on energy consumption is important for designing the most suitable energy conservation policy to increase society’s adaptation to policy. The present paper has the following aims: 1) to analyze and compare decision-making in the use of electrical appliances; and 2) to compile a strategy to improve the adoption of higher-efficiency appliances and the wise use of electricity in Indonesia to optimize households’ energy conservation. All aims are in the framework analysis of the different cultural backgrounds and ethnicities represented by two cities—Yogyakarta and Bandung. The finding indicates that people in Yogyakarta show greater awareness of the benefits of adopting higher-efficiency appliances than people in Bandung. Therefore, the awareness rate of energy consumed by appliances and energy efficiency of appliances is significantly higher in Yogyakarta. This study shows the integration of intervention strategy in the purchase and use of electrical appliances with regard to the consumers’ decision and behaviors within a framework of the local culture to manage electricity consumption in the household sector.