DEPICTION AND ANALYSIS OF INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOR RELATED TO ENERGY SAVING AND RENEWABLE SOURCES: A CASE STUDYFOR ATHENS, GREECE.

摘要

The paper develops and applies a methodological framework for the depiction of individual behavior for energy saving and renewable energy sources (RES) using a questionnaire. Initially, a literature review is realized through scientific papers and other sources. The findings of recent surveys suggest that public support for RES projects and energy saving attitudes is general high.Subsequently, the methodological framework is presented and the proposed procedure is analyzed. The questionnaire is formulated and distributed in the Greek city of Athens, both to local people and particular decision makers. Each questionnaire has twenty nine (29) closed-type or multiple choice questions, divided into three groups: 1. Energy saving and rational use of energy, 2. Public acceptance of RES and 3. General information. The questionnaires were, initially, orientated to evaluate the level of information of local residents about energy saving, rational use of energy and renewable energy technologies. The number of distributed questionnaires was 85.Then, the questionnaires were gathered and analyzed statistically, using the software tools SPSS and EXCEL. The results of the descriptive statistics show high levels of acceptability (60%) for Photovoltaic (PV) applications, concerned with energy production in the domestic sector. It is noteworthy, that only a small minority (1%) of participants expressed negative opinion towards PV systems. In addition, the improvements of energy performance in buildings are suggested as the most effective factor for energy saving. Following, a regression analysis of selected variables is carried out via chi-square test. The obtained results reveal that the sample opinion towards to the energy production from PVs is statistically independent with the average annual income of participants. Finally, the conclusions are presented together with relevant proposals for further investigation.