How Effective Are Energy-Efficiency Incentive Programs? Evidence from Italian Homeowners
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Date
2014-11
Publication Type
Working Paper
ETH Bibliography
yes
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Abstract
paper submitted to the 2014 WCERE Congress, Istanbul, University of Maryland, College Park, January. We evaluate incentives for residential energy upgrades in Italy using data from an original survey of Italian homeowners. In this paper, attention is restricted to heating system replacements, and to the effect of monetary and non-monetary incentives on the propensity to replace the heating equipment with a more efficient one. To get around adverse selection and free riding issues, we ask stated preference questions to those who weren’t planning energy efficiency upgrades any time soon. We argue that these persons are not affected by these behaviors. We use their responses to fit an energy-efficiency renovations curve that predicts the share of the population that will undertake these improvements for any given incentive level. This curve is used to estimate the CO2 emissions saved and their cost-effectiveness. Respondents are more likely to agree to a replacement when the savings on the energy bills are larger and experienced over a longer horizon, and when rebates are offered to them. Reminding about CO2 (our non-monetary incentive) had little effect. Even under optimistic assumptions, the cost-effectiveness of incentives of size comparable to that in the Italian tax credit program is generally not favorable.
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published
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Journal / series
Volume
14/205
Pages / Article No.
Publisher
CER-ETH – Center of Economic Research at ETH Zurich
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Date created
Subject
Residential energy consumption; Adverse selection; CO2 emissions reductions; CO2 emissions reductions supply curves; Energy-efficiency incentives; Free riding; Stated Preferences
Organisational unit
03539 - Filippini, Massimo / Filippini, Massimo
02045 - Dep. Geistes-, Sozial- u. Staatswiss. / Dep. of Humanities, Social and Pol.Sc.