This document summarizes research on the distribution of domestic energy technologies in Great Britain from 2008 to 2011. It finds that adopters of these technologies tend to be home-owning residents of detached, rural homes who report environmentally friendly views and actions. Those seriously considering adoption also tend to have higher energy spending. Rejecters of these technologies are more often urban renters living in non-detached housing who report less environmentally friendly attitudes. The research finds some differences between adopters of solar PV and solar thermal technologies and highlights equity issues in the uneven distribution of benefits from these technologies.

1. The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech
in Great Britain: 2008 – 2011
Dr Ben Anderson
Research & Policy Workshop I
17th December 2013
@dataknut

2. @dataknut: The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech in Great Britain: 2008 - 2011
Contents
 Why bother?
 Meet the data
 Distributions
 Factors predicting adoption
 Summary
2

3. @dataknut: The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech in Great Britain: 2008 - 2011
Contents
 Why bother?
 Meet the data
 Distributions
 Factors predicting adoption
 Summary
3

4. @dataknut: The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech in Great Britain: 2008 - 2011
Why bother?
 Equity:
– Uneven distribution of benefits
 Regressive:
– Benefits may accrue to the well off
 Uptake may asymptote
– To something…
4

5. @dataknut: The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech in Great Britain: 2008 - 2011
Contents
 Why bother?
 Meet the Data
 Distributions (over time)
 Factors predicting adoption
 Summary
5

6. @dataknut: The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech in Great Britain: 2008 - 2011
Meet the Data
2008
2009
2010
✔
2011
✔
2013
2012
✔
✔
 British Household Panel Survey
– Wave 18 (2008-9)
– N households = 6,500
We are here!
 Understanding Society
– Waves 1-4 (2009-2013)
Data for waves 1-3 available now
Eco-Tech & Behaviours/Attitudes
– N households = 30,000
6

7. BHPS Wave 18
2,500
2011_03
2011
2011_02
2011_01
✔
2010_12
2010_11
2010_10
2010_09
2010_08
2010
2010_07
✔
2010_06
2010_05
2010_04
2010_03
2010_02
2010_01
2009
2009_12
2009_11
2009_10
2009_09
2009_08
2009_07
2009_06
2008
2009_05
2009_04
2009_03
2009_02
2009_01
2008_12
2008_11
2008_10
2008_09
N households
@dataknut: The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech in Great Britain: 2008 - 2011
Meet the Data
2012
2013
✔
✔
4,000
3,500
3,000
We are here!
2,000
1,500
1,000
500
0
USOC Wave 1
7

8. @dataknut: The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech in Great Britain: 2008 - 2011
What Energy-Tech?
 Energy ‘production’
– Solar PV (electricity)
– Wind Turbines (electricity)
– Solar Thermal (hot water)
 Key questions:
– Who is adopting?
– What factors predict this?
– What difference does it make?
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9. @dataknut: The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech in Great Britain: 2008 - 2011
Key variables:
Solar PV Solar Thermal Wind Turbine
Both
30%
198
13
5.05%
4.33%
2.44%
1471
828
88.51%
90.51%
94.86%
30775
32254
5.91%
4.58%
2.66%
2011
Considered
& rejected
0.04%
30095
No
0.58%
1716
Considering
0.53%
180
 Energy Tech uptake
Yes
1558
905
Solar PV
only
35%
Solar
Thermal
only
35%
9

10. @dataknut: The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech in Great Britain: 2008 - 2011
Key variables
Solar PV Solar Thermal Wind Turbine
198
13
5.05%
4.33%
2.44%
1471
828
88.51%
90.51%
94.86%
30775
32254
5.91%
4.58%
2.66%
2011
Considered &
rejected
0.04%
30095
No
0.58%
1716
Considering
0.53%
180
 Energy Tech uptake
Yes
1558
905
 ‘Environmentally friendly’
– Mean individual level actions + household level behaviours
 Socio-economic
– Tenure, Occupancy, Income, education levels, energy consumption
10

11. @dataknut: The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech in Great Britain: 2008 - 2011
Contents
 Why bother?
 Meet the data
 Distributions
 Factors predicting adoption
 Summary
11

12. @dataknut: The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech in Great Britain: 2008 - 2011
Distributions
 Over time…
9.0%
16,000
8.0%
14,000
7.0%
12,000
6.0%
10,000
5.0%
8,000
4.0%
6,000
3.0%
4,000
2.0%
1.0%
2,000
0.0%
0
2008
2009
2010
N households
Have installed energy-tech
Considering installing energy-tech
Have thought about it & decided not to
Source: Own calculations of pooled BHPS (W18) & USOC (W1) GB sub-sample
Weighted for non response and correcting for survey design
Error bars = 95% Confidence intervals
12

13. @dataknut: The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech in Great Britain: 2008 - 2011
Distributions
 Over equivalised income quartiles
2.5%
12.0%
Has energy tech
Considering energy tech
10.0%
2.0%
Equivalised income
Q4 (highest)
1.5%
Equivalised income
Q4 (highest)
8.0%
Q3
Q3
6.0%
Q2
1.0%
Equivalised income
Q1 (lowest)
0.5%
Q2
4.0%
Equivalised income
Q1 (lowest)
2.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2008
2009
2010
2008
2009
2010
Equivalised income: controls for household size (persons, OECD approach)
13
Source: Own calculations of pooled BHPS (W18) & USOC (W1) GB sub-sample weighted for non response and correcting for survey design
Error bars = 95% Confidence intervals

14. @dataknut: The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech in Great Britain: 2008 - 2011
Distributions
 Over accommodation type
3.00%
Has energy tech
14.00%
Considering energy tech
12.00%
2.50%
10.00%
2.00%
Detached
1.50%
8.00%
Detached
Semi-detached
Terrace
Semi-detached
6.00%
Terrace
Other
1.00%
Other
4.00%
0.50%
2.00%
0.00%
0.00%
2008
2009
2010
2008
2009
2010
Equivalised income: controls for household size (persons, OECD approach)
14
Source: Own calculations of pooled BHPS (W18) & USOC (W1) GB sub-sample weighted for non response and correcting for survey design
Error bars = 95% Confidence intervals

15. @dataknut: The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech in Great Britain: 2008 - 2011
Distributions
 Over tenure
1.60%
Has energy tech
12.00%
Considering energy tech
1.40%
10.00%
1.20%
8.00%
1.00%
Own
0.80%
Own
6.00%
Social rent
Social rent
Other/private rent
0.60%
Other/private rent
4.00%
0.40%
2.00%
0.20%
0.00%
0.00%
2008
2009
2010
2008
2009
2010
Confirms: DECC (2012) Identifying trends in the deployment of domestic solar PV under the Feed-in Tariff scheme
15
Source: Own calculations of pooled BHPS (W18) & USOC (W1) GB sub-sample weighted for non response and correcting for survey design
Error bars = 95% Confidence intervals

16. @dataknut: The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech in Great Britain: 2008 - 2011
Distributions
 Over energy consumption quartiles
2.5%
14.0%
Has energy tech
Considering energy tech
12.0%
2.0%
10.0%
Energy spend Q4
(highest)
1.5%
Q3
Energy spend Q4
(highest)
8.0%
Q3
Q2
6.0%
Q2
Energy spend Q1 (lowest)
1.0%
4.0%
Energy spend Q1 (lowest)
0.5%
2.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2008
2009
2010
2008
2009
2010
Confirms: DECC (2012) Identifying trends in the deployment of domestic solar PV under the Feed-in Tariff scheme
16
Source: Own calculations of pooled BHPS (W18) & USOC (W1) GB sub-sample weighted for non response and correcting for survey design
Error bars = 95% Confidence intervals

17. @dataknut: The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech in Great Britain: 2008 - 2011
Distributions
 Over ‘Environmentally friendly’ quartiles
2.5%
Has energy tech
12.0%
Considering energy tech
10.0%
2.0%
Enviro Friendly HH Q4
(highest)
1.5%
Enviro Friendly HH Q4
(highest)
8.0%
Q3
Q3
6.0%
Q2
1.0%
Enviro Friendly HH Q1
(lowest)
0.5%
Q2
4.0%
Enviro Friendly HH Q1
(lowest)
2.0%
0.0%
0.0%
2008
2009
2010
2008
2009
2010
Index: Mean of individual level scores + recycling + green electricity tariff
Source: Own calculations of pooled BHPS (W18) & USOC (W1) GB sub-sample weighted for non response and correcting for survey design
Error bars = 95% Confidence intervals
17

18. @dataknut: The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech in Great Britain: 2008 - 2011
Distributions
 Urban vs rural
0.12
0.025
Has energy tech
Considering energy tech
0.1
0.02
0.08
0.015
Urban
0.06
Urban
Rural
Rural
0.01
0.04
0.005
0.02
0
0
2008
2009
2010
2008
2009
2010
Confirms: DECC (2012) Identifying trends in the deployment of domestic solar PV under the Feed-in Tariff scheme
18
Source: Own calculations of USOC (W1) GB sub-sample weighted for non response and correcting for survey design
Error bars = 95% Confidence intervals

19. @dataknut: The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech in Great Britain: 2008 - 2011
Contents
 Why bother?
 Meet the data
 Distributions
 Factors predicting adoption
 Summary
19

20. @dataknut: The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech in Great Britain: 2008 - 2011
Adopted Energy Tech
Other effects: rural (positive)
But: low explanatory power => Lots of unexplained variance
Source: Logistic regression of BHPS (W18), USOC (W1) GB sub-sample. Error bars = 95% Confidence Intervals for coefficients
20

21. @dataknut: The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech in Great Britain: 2008 - 2011
‘Seriously Considering’ Energy Tech
Other effects: rural (positive)
But: low explanatory power => Lots of unexplained variance
Source: Logistic regression of BHPS (W18), USOC (W1) GB sub-sample. Error bars = 95% Confidence Intervals for coefficients
21

22. @dataknut: The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech in Great Britain: 2008 - 2011
‘Rejected’ all Energy Tech
Other effects: rural (negative)
But: low explanatory power => Lots of unexplained variance
Source: Logistic regression of BHPS (W18), USOC (W1) GB sub-sample. Error bars = 95% Confidence Intervals for coefficients
22

23. @dataknut: The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech in Great Britain: 2008 - 2011
Adopted Solar PV/Solar Thermal
Other effects: rural (positive) for Solar Thermal but not Solar PV
High explanatory power => but much captured by intercept (not shown)
And small n for adoption groups
Source: Logistic regression of BHPS (W18), USOC (W1) GB sub-sample. Error bars = 95% Confidence Intervals for coefficients
23

24. @dataknut: The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech in Great Britain: 2008 - 2011
Contents
 Why bother?
 Meet the data
 Distributions
 Factors predicting adoption
 Summary
24

25. @dataknut: The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech in Great Britain: 2008 - 2011
Summary
 Adopters generally:
– home-owning, (large) detached & rural
– higher reported ‘enviro friendly’ views/actions
 Those seriously considering generally:
– As above
– Already have some form of energy tech
– Highest energy spenders
 Rejecters generally:
– Urban renters, not detached
– Lower reported ‘enviro friendly’ views/actions
– Lower energy spend
25

26. @dataknut: The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech in Great Britain: 2008 - 2011
Contrasts:
 Solar PV & Solar Thermal Adopters:
– Different housing type ‘effects’?
– Different income ‘effects’?
– Different ‘attitudinal’ effects
 Overall:
– Emphasis on constraints over choice
– Equity issues are clear…
26

27. @dataknut: The Distribution of Domestic Energy-Tech in Great Britain: 2008 - 2011
Thank you
 Questions?
– b.anderson@soton.ac.uk
– @dataknut
 http://www.energy.soton.ac.uk/esrc-sdai-attitudes
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