Reported Behavioural Patterns of Electricity Use among Low-Income Households in Makhanda, South Africa
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. Understanding Behaviour
1.2. Determinants of Behaviour
1.2.1. Socio-Demographic Factors
1.2.2. Values
- What is the reported electricity use behaviour?
- What are the determinants of electricity use behaviour?
- What do the findings mean for inferences on pro-environmental behaviour, and practical implications for local-level transition to sustainable electricity use?
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Area
2.2. Sampling and Data Collection
Measures
- Socio-demographic variables
- Electricity use behaviour
- Values
2.3. Data Analyses
3. Results and Discussions
3.1. Socio-Demographic Profile of the Participants and Their Households
3.2. Ownership of Appliances and Lighting
3.3. Reported Electricity Use Behaviour
3.4. Relationship between Pro-Environmental Behaviour (PEB) and Socio-Demographic Factors
3.5. Relationship between PEB and Values
3.6. Predictors of PEB
4. Policy Implications
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Appendix A
Electricity-Saving Action | Number of Respondents | Mean PEB Score | Modal Response | Percentages (%) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Keeping windows and doors closed when fan is on | 56 | 3.5 | Sometimes | 36 |
Keeping windows and doors closed when heater is on | 45 | 3.9 | Always | 64 |
Turning off microwave completely instead of leaving it on standby | 151 | 3.2 | Always | 43 |
Matching pot sizes and hot plates on stove | 179 | 3.9 | Always | 49 |
Defrosting refrigerator without automatic settings | 135 | 2.6 | Sometimes | 43 |
Overloading the refrigerator | 198 | 2.6 | Sometimes | 53 |
Cooling down hot food before storing in refrigerator | 204 | 4.3 | Always | 67 |
Covering liquids stored in the refrigerator | 204 | 4.5 | Always | 69 |
Taking all ingredients from the refrigerator at once when preparing food | 204 | 3.2 | Sometimes | 40 |
Adjusting power setting according to weather condition | 200 | 1.6 | Never | 71 |
Switching off the refrigerator when it is empty | 193 | 2.2 | Never | 48 |
Boiling just enough coffee/tea water as you need | 204 | 3.8 | Always | 44 |
Making use of daylight instead of lights during the day | 207 | 4.3 | Always | 72 |
Turning lights off when nobody is in the room | 207 | 3.8 | Always | 52 |
Using task lighting for activities requiring small amount of focus light (e.g., reading lamps) | 196 | 1.4 | Never | 83 |
Turning off home appliances (TV, stereos, iPads, and satellite boxes) instead of leaving on standby | 193 | 2.8 | Never | 33 |
Allowing computer to be on hibernation mode after 10–15 min | 43 | 3.1 | Sometimes | 47 |
Switching off computer completely when not in use for more than 30 min | 44 | 3.7 | Always | 39 |
Unplugging phone/iPad chargers after use | 152 | 3.6 | Always | 43 |
Turning off geyser when not needed (e.g., overnight) | 61 | 3.3 | Always | 46 |
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Variable | Values |
---|---|
Gender (%) of household head | |
Female | 35% |
Male | 65% |
% household heads | 53% |
Mean age of respondent (years) | 47 (±17) |
Mean household size | 4.3 (±2) |
Below 5 yrs | 9% |
6–17 yrs | 24% |
18–35 yrs | 29% |
35–65 yrs | 29% |
+65 yrs | 9% |
Education of household head (%) | |
No education | 20% |
Primary | 14% |
Secondary | 47% |
Tertiary | 19% |
% of household heads employed | 46% |
Number of members employed/household | 0.97 |
% of households receiving social grants | 79% |
Income bracket (ZAR) | |
<3500 | 56% |
3500–10,000 | 43% |
10,001–30,000 | 1% |
>30,000 | - |
% of households receiving free basis electricity | 40.5% |
Alternative electricity | |
Gas | 51% |
Paraffin | 41% |
Firewood | 7% |
Solar | 1% |
Household description Own built formal Reconstruction and Development Programme houses Informal/Shack | 75% 21% 4% |
% of homesteads with separate housing units at the homestead | 64% |
% households with separate meters for different units | 35% |
Appliance | % Households |
---|---|
Kitchen appliances | |
Electric kettle/jug | 99 |
Refrigerator | 95 |
Electric stove | 88 |
Microwave | 79 |
Dishwasher | 2 |
Washing machine | 63 |
Entertainment and communication | |
TV | 96 |
Satellite boxes | 96 |
Stereo | 96 |
Cell phone | 96 |
Computer (desktop/laptop) | 52 |
Other appliances | |
Electric cylindrical water heater | 33 |
Element water heater | 32 |
Fan | 26 |
Electric heater | 19 |
Electric blanket | 10 |
Vacuum cleaner | 7 |
Tumble dryer | 6 |
Air conditioner | 4 |
Variable | Valid N | Spearman R (rho) | t-(N-2) | p-Value |
---|---|---|---|---|
Gender Dummy (Female = 1; Male = 0) | 214 | 0.008 | 0.111 | 0.911 |
Age | 216 | 0.092 | 1.345 | 0.180 |
Number of children below 5 years | 218 | −0.067 | −0.989 | 0.324 |
Education | 176 | 0.140 | 1.868 | 0.063 |
Household size | 218 | −0.064 | −0.947 | 0.344 |
Access to social grant | 218 | −0.059 | −0.861 | 0.390 |
Access to free electricity | 217 | −0.011 | −0.168 | 0.867 |
Number of rooms | 218 | 0.070 | 1.037 | 0.301 |
Separate housing units | 218 | 0.164 | 2.443 | 0.015 * |
Separate electricity meter | 140 | −0.118 | −1.391 | 0.167 |
High-Order Value | Valid N | Spearman R (rho) | t-(N-2) | p-Values |
---|---|---|---|---|
Universalism | 217 | 0.192 | 2.864 | 0.005 * |
Benevolence | 217 | 0.167 | 2.487 | 0.014 * |
Stimulation | 217 | 0.056 | 0.822 | 0.412 |
Self-direction | 217 | 0.162 | 2.403 | 0.017 * |
Hedonism | 217 | 0.146 | 2.156 | 0.032 * |
Achievement | 217 | 0.119 | 1.761 | 0.080 |
Power | 217 | 0.271 | 4.134 | 0.000 * |
Security | 217 | 0.067 | 0.982 | 0.326 |
Spirituality | 216 | 0.008 | 0.119 | 0.906 |
Variables | Coef. Estimate | Std. Error | Wald Stat. | p |
---|---|---|---|---|
Intercept | 1.021 | 0.129 | 62.451 | 0.000 * |
Gender (1 = female; 0 = male) | 0.006 | 0.045 | 0.016 | 0.900 |
No. of rooms | −0.002 | 0.005 | 0.201 | 0.654 |
Age of household members | 0.001 | 0.001 | 3.332 | 0.068 |
Household size | −0.010 | 0.006 | 2.475 | 0.116 |
Number of people below 5 | 0.024 | 0.018 | 1.677 | 0.195 |
Number of people above 65 | 0.018 | 0.019 | 0.875 | 0.350 |
Educational status | 0.035 | 0.015 | 5.826 | 0.016 * |
Employment status (1= employed; not employed) | −0.050 | 0.031 | 2.495 | 0.114 |
Grants (1 recipient; 0 non-recipient) | 0.014 | 0.016 | 0.767 | 0.381 |
Free electricity (1 = recipient; 0 = non-recipient) | 0.019 | 0.012 | 2.616 | 0.106 |
Separate meter | −0.028 | 0.022 | 1.747 | 0.186 |
Universalism | −0.001 | 0.023 | 0.002 | 0.968 |
Benevolence | −0.012 | 0.022 | 0.307 | 0.579 |
Stimulation | −0.004 | 0.013 | 0.076 | 0.783 |
Self-direction | −0.009 | 0.027 | 0.113 | 0.737 |
Hedonism | 0.032 | 0.023 | 1.938 | 0.164 |
Power | 0.057 | 0.021 | 6.948 | 0.008 * |
Achievement | −0.020 | 0.023 | 0.748 | 0.387 |
Security | −0.021 | 0.024 | 0.749 | 0.387 |
Spirituality | 0.011 | 0.012 | 0.935 | 0.334 |
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Mutumbi, U.; Thondhlana, G.; Ruwanza, S. Reported Behavioural Patterns of Electricity Use among Low-Income Households in Makhanda, South Africa. Sustainability 2021, 13, 7271. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137271
Mutumbi U, Thondhlana G, Ruwanza S. Reported Behavioural Patterns of Electricity Use among Low-Income Households in Makhanda, South Africa. Sustainability. 2021; 13(13):7271. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137271
Chicago/Turabian StyleMutumbi, Uzziah, Gladman Thondhlana, and Sheunesu Ruwanza. 2021. "Reported Behavioural Patterns of Electricity Use among Low-Income Households in Makhanda, South Africa" Sustainability 13, no. 13: 7271. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137271