Behavioural interventions yield electricity savings among high-income households in Johannesburg, South Africa

2021 ◽  
pp. 0958305X2110443
Author(s):  
Stephanie P Williams ◽  
Gladman Thondhlana ◽  
Harn Wei Kua
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
High Income ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Behavioural Interventions ◽  
Electricity Use ◽  
Size Number ◽  
Electricity Saving ◽  
The Impact

The societal benefits of addressing wasteful electricity use practices through behavioural interventions are now well-established. Surprisingly, in South Africa, where the economy is highly dependent on fossil fuel (coal) for electricity generation, this subject remains little studied and understood. The residential sector is a major electricity consumer, and high-income households, in particular, use a substantial proportion of total electricity with serious adverse impacts on grid stability and the environment, which can disproportionately affect the poor. Using a field-based experiment, this study examines the impact of behavioural interventions on household electricity savings and the determinants of success among high-income households in Johannesburg, South Africa. Over the intervention period, households exposed to a combination of electricity-saving information, frequent reminders and feedback on monthly electricity-saving performance showed mean electricity savings of about 1.5%, ranging from 2% to 4% of electricity, while households in the control group showed increased electricity consumption by approximately 11%. Out of all the demographic and personal value factors considered, age, achievement and benevolence promoted electricity savings, while household size, number of rooms, baseline electricity consumption and security inhibited savings. The findings empirically validate the impact of behavioural interventions on, and the positive influence of, personal values in promoting participation in electricity-saving actions within households.

scholarly journals Electricity Use Behaviour in a High-Income Neighbourhood in Johannesburg, South Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 4571 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie Paige Williams ◽  
Gladman Thondhlana ◽  
Harn Wei Kua
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
High Income ◽  
Value Orientations ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
Water Heaters ◽  
Electricity Use ◽  
Self Transcendence ◽  
Electricity Saving

Worldwide, households’ consumption of electricity contributes to a substantial proportion of total national energy demand. Thus, the residential sector is a major entity in efforts to define and achieve global sustainability goals. Understanding electricity use behaviour and factors underlying behaviour is critical for designing behaviour change interventions, particularly in contexts characterised by fast-growing economies, burgeoning number of high-income households, and consumption growth. However, relative to developed economies, very little is known on this subject in South Africa. Using structured questionnaires, this study examines electricity use behaviour among high-income households in Johannesburg, South Africa. Findings indicate evidence of electricity-saving behaviour, but the proportion of households doing so was less than 50% for many actions, indicative of widespread wasteful habits. Other particular wasteful electricity use habits include leaving electronic gadgets and appliances on ‘standby’ mode, not turning off electric water heaters and not defrosting fridges without automatic settings. The findings lend support to the positive and negative influence of self-transcendence and egoistic values respectively on environmental behaviour, but other value orientations did not yield significant relationships. The implications of the findings on practical interventions for and theoretical constructs underlying strategies for environmentally-sustainable behaviour are discussed.

scholarly journals Reported Behavioural Patterns of Electricity Use among Low-Income Households in Makhanda, South Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7271
Author(s):  
Uzziah Mutumbi ◽  
Gladman Thondhlana ◽  
Sheunesu Ruwanza
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Sustainable Consumption ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Electricity Use ◽  
Behavioural Patterns ◽  
Education Levels ◽  
Basic Services ◽  
Low Income Households

Households consume up to 20% of overall electricity consumption globally; hence, they are important role players in efforts towards promoting sustainable consumption. Research on electricity use behaviour is important for informing intervention strategies; however, relative to developed countries, research on this subject is lacking in developing countries where electricity access is limited. In South Africa, electricity use behaviour among poor neighbourhoods remains little studied and understood. This study was carried out among low-income households in Makhanda, South Africa, characterised by high poverty and unemployment rates, low education levels, and limited access to basic services. Using a self-reporting approach, electricity use behaviour of low-income households was assessed against a list of common household electricity use actions. A survey of 297 households was conducted. The findings show mixed results, with households reporting both good electricity use behaviour (e.g., cooling down hot food before refrigeration and using washing machines on full load) and wasteful actions (e.g., leaving appliances on standby). Our results show that electricity use behaviour was influenced by socio-psychological values including universalism, benevolence, hedonism, and power. Some of the reported electricity behavioural patterns are consistent with those previously reported among high-income households. The theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

scholarly journals Physically Active Breaks in the Teaching Process

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 235-242
Author(s):  
Ivan Holik ◽  
Vesna Štemberger ◽  
Petra Pejić Papak ◽  
Vilko Petrić ◽  
Matea Kitak
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Educational Achievement ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
T Test ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Teaching Process ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Active Breaks ◽  
The Impact

The aim of this research is to study the impact of physically active breaks, accompanied by video materials, on the level of pupils’ educational achievement and their attitudes toward physically active breaks during the teaching process in the classroom. The research lasted for two months, and the apposite sample consisted of a total of 38 pupils aged 10 to 11. The influence of physically active breaks on the educational achievement was estimated by the percentage of correct answers in the tasks of mathematics, while the Croatian version of the questionnaire Attitudes towards the Physical Activity Scale (APAS) was used for evaluating the attitudes toward physically active breaks with video materials. Differ ences between the initial and final measuring inside the same group were tested by the Student’s dependent sample t-test, while for differences between the experimental and control group the Student’s independent sample t-test was used. The obtained results showed that the ability to solve mathematical tasks in the experimental group has significantly improved when compared to the control one and that physically active breaks have a positive influence on the pupils’ attitudes toward physical activity. The implementation of physically active breaks into teaching has an impact on pupils’ productivity in the educational process, while at the same time their need for movement is fulfilled.

scholarly journals PENGARUH PENGGUNAAN MEDIA MOOD BOARD TERHADAP PENGETAHUAN DESAIN BUSANA PADA MAHASISWA PENDIDIKAN TEKNIK BUSANA

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 121
Author(s):  
Afif Ghurub Bestari ◽  
Ishartiwi Ishartiwi
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
T Test ◽  
Fashion Design ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Control Group Design ◽  
Group Design ◽  
And Control ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Learning By Using

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji (1) perbedaan pengaruh pembelajaran Desain Busana menggunakan media mood board dan media contoh gambar desain busana terhadap kreativitas dan hasil belajar Desain Busana mahasiswa;  (2) pengaruh positif pembelajaran Desain Busana dengan menggunakan media mood board dibandingkan menggunakan media contoh gambar desain busana terhadap kreativitas desain busana mahasiswa; (3) pengaruh positif pembelajaran Desain Busana dengan menggunakan media mood board dibandingkan dengan menggunakan media contoh gambar desain busana terhadap hasil belajar desain busana mahasiswa. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian kuasi eksperimen dengan desain Pretest-Posttest, Nonequivalent Control Group Design. Penelitian ini menggunakan kelas eksperimen dan kelas kontrol. Populasi penelitian adalah mahasiswa kelas A dan D semester 2 di Pendidikan Teknik Busana FT UNY. Hasil t-test menunjukkan pretest mahasiswa kelas kontrol dan kelas eksperimen hampir sama. Data hasil belajar posttestmenunjukkan selisih skor rata-rata antara kelas eksperimen dan kelas kontrol berkategori sangat tinggi. Berdasarkan hasil nilai rata-rata diperoleh bahwa terjadi peningkatan hasil kreativitas mahasiswa yang signifikan.Kata kunci: media mood board, hasil belajar, desain busana THE IMPACT OF USING MOOD BOARD MEDIA TO  FASHION DESIGN KNOWLEDGE ON FASHION  DESIGN ENGINEERING STUDENTSAbstractThis research aimed to examine (1) the effect of differences in learning to use media Fashion Design mood board and fashion design drawings media examples in creativity and Fashion Design student learning outcomes; (2) the positive influence of learning by using media Fashion Design mood board than using media examples fashion design drawings for the creativity of fashion design students; (3) a positive influence of learning by using media Fashion Design mood board compared to using the media sample images for learning outcomes of Fashion Design student. This research is a quasi-experimental research with pretest-posttest design, Nonequivalent Control Group Design. This research uses experimental class and control class. The research population was a student of class A and D in the 2nd half of Technical Fashion Education Faculty of Engineering, Yogyakarta State of University. t-test results indicate student pretest control class and experimental class is almost the same. Data posttest study results show the difference in average scores between the experimental class and control class category is very high. Based on the results of the average value obtained that an increase in the creativity of the students are significant.Keywords: fashion mood boards, learning outcomes, fashion design

scholarly journals Understanding Residential Electricity Consumption Considering Energy Efficiency Policies and The Impact On the Electricity System

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meryem Tumbuz ◽  
Hatice Muğlkoç
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Behavioral Change ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Allocation Problem ◽  
General View ◽  
Electricity Use ◽  
Generation Cost ◽  
Residential Electricity ◽  
Energy Efficiency Policies ◽  
The Impact

Electricity consumption increases substantially over the years where residential use significantly contributes to the overall consumption. The growth in the population and variety of home appliances together with increasing comfort levels of the people results in higher levels of residential electricity use. In fact, nearly one fourth of Turkey's total electricity consumption is due to the domestic use. To achieve global sustainability targets and reduce the overall electricity use, focusing on the domestic consumption is crucial. In this research, the energy consumptions patterns of households are determined to identify the potential electricity savings existing in the residential sector. Moreover, specific policy recommendations, which can promote the behavioral change, are driven by measuring the responsiveness of people to different measures and the combinations of these measures such as information, feedback, rewards, and social influences. A survey was conducted to determine the patterns and the responsiveness of the residential customers. The results obtained from the survey are used to depict a general view of Turkish households towards electricity consumption behaviors and their energy efficiency attitudes. Responses indicate there should be more regulations and improvements in energy policy. An electricity allocation problem is solved in order to see possible impacts of behavioral change measures on the network. Scenarios are defined for each policy and allocation problem is solved to see the possible generation cost reduction. Also, gas emissions for each scenario is recorded to understand the possible effects of policies on the environment. Results show that behavioral change studies seem to be well worth to study. In order to reach residential efficiency, possible policy alternatives are suggested for Turkish households.

scholarly journals The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare service access for the victims of sexual assault

2021 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramprakash Kaswa
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Access To Healthcare ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Service Access ◽  
Sexual Assault Survivors ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Degrees Of Severity ◽  
Assault Survivors

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted the provision or exacerbated the existing gap of access to essential healthcare services. An unanticipated effect on access to healthcare services emerged with the introduction of COVID-19 lockdown regulations. Violence against women is prevalent with varying degrees of severity in all spheres of society.Methods: This study aims to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the access to healthcare services for the victims of sexual assault in the Mthatha region of South Africa. This is a records review of victims of sexual assault survivors who visited and were treated at the Sinawe TCC at Mthatha Regional Hospital. The data on sexual assault cases at Sinawe TCC were compared with a time-matched control group from 2014 to 2020.Results: There were 5747 sexual assault cases reported at Sinawe TCC between 01 January 2014 and 31 December 2020. There was a major drop in reported cases at Sinawe TCC during the 2020 year, with only about half (451) of the annual average cases being reported.Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has an impact on access to healthcare services for the victims of sexual assault survivors in the Mthatha region of South Africa.

Evaluating the impact of consumer behaviour on the performance of domestic solar water heating systems in South Africa

2010 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Ijumba ◽  
Adoniya Ben Sebitosi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Consumer Behaviour ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Base Stations ◽  
Water Heating ◽  
Solar Water Heating ◽  
Solar Water ◽  
The Impact

South Africa experienced a rapid expansion in the electric power consumer base after 1994 that was not matched by corresponding investment in the country’s generation capacity. By the dawn of 2008, the situation had reached a critical point, with regular countrywide blackouts and load shedding and is expected to persist for several years, before the proposed new base stations can come online. Currently, 92% of the country’s electricity is generated in coal-based power stations and are responsible for the country’s heavy carbon footprint. Additionally this power must crisscross the country to distant load centres via an aging transmission infrastructure and in the process massive amounts of energy are lost particularly during peak power demand. Electricity consumption in South African households accounts for approximately 35% of peak demand, with water heating constituting 40% of that. The country has abundant sunshine and solar water heating technology and offers one of the most viable compiementary solutions to the country’s energy and environmental crises. Moreover the location of the systems at the consumer end means that the need to upgrade the transmission infrastructure can also be differed.Application of technology alone however, may not necessarily result in the required energy savings particularly in cases of uninformed consumer usage. In this paper the authors evaluate the impact of consumer behaviour on the performance of domestic solar water heaters in South Africa and suggest measures that could be taken to optimize this performance.

The impact of electricity crises on the consumption behaviour of small and medium enterprises

2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Von Ketelholdt ◽  
A. Wöcke
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Energy Savings ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Electricity Consumption ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Social Strategies ◽  
Information Campaigns ◽  
Consumption Behaviour ◽  
Medium Enterprises ◽  
The Impact

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will play a key role in future economic and social strategies in South Africa. However, we find that SMEs are par-ticularly vulnerable to shocks in their external envi-ronment due to a general lack of skills and resources. This is critical as the future demand for electricity in South Africa is likely to outstrip supply and electricity will become increasingly unreliable and expensive. We surveyed 250 SMEs in Cape Town and found that the prevailing policy methods of changing electricity consumption behaviour: information campaigns, increasing prices, and pro-viding rebates for energy savings, have had limited results and are unsustainable when applied to SMEs.

scholarly journals The Integration of General Education in the Academic Programme to Enhance the Self-Efficacy of Accounting Students at a South African University

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1(V)) ◽  
pp. 23-43
Author(s):  
Suntharmurthy Kristnasamy Naidoo ◽  
S. Govender
Keyword(s):  
Academic Performance ◽  
General Education ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
The Self ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Control Group Design ◽  
Post Test ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of General Education in enhancing the Self-efficacy of Cost and Management Accounting (CMA) students to assess whether Self-efficacy, is having any positive influence on the students’ academic performance. The research design for this paper was descriptive, longitudinal and a mixed-method approach. The nature of the quasi-experimental approach that was used in the current paper is a non-equivalent pre-test and post-test control group design. The target population was CMA students. A census survey was conducted. Findings, which were analysed with the aid of descriptive statistics, indicate a significant correlation in the post-test (Self-efficacy) scores of the group that undertook the General Education Modules and not the group that did not undertake the General Education Modules. This paper recommends the implementation of General Education skills into the curriculum and a model to measure Self-efficacy of students. Moreover, these skills appear to be very poor amongst current learners and respondents believed that Self-efficacy could have a positive effect on the academic performance of learners.

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