Energy consumption in residential buildings

The study analyzes 122 trials across 25 countries to evaluate interventions for reducing residential energy consumption, finding that while both monetary and non-monetary tools are effective, monetary incentives generally yield more pronounced results.

• Residential buildings accounted for 28% of global energy-related CO2 emissions in 2019, highlighting the need for low-energy pathways for climate mitigation.
• An analysis of 360 effect sizes from 122 studies across 25 countries demonstrates that both monetary and non-monetary interventions—including information, feedback, and playful motivation—reduce household energy consumption.
• Monetary incentives typically produce a more significant effect on reducing energy consumption than non-monetary interventions, and combining different types of interventions can increase overall effectiveness.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2021). Energy consumption in residential buildings. https://www.sei.org/publications/energy-consumption-in-residential-buildings/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Energy consumption in residential buildings. 2021. https://www.sei.org/publications/energy-consumption-in-residential-buildings/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Energy consumption in residential buildings |date=2 August 2021 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/energy-consumption-in-residential-buildings/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2021energy, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Energy consumption in residential buildings}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2021}, month = aug, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/energy-consumption-in-residential-buildings/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }