AUTHOR=Xu Xiaojing , Chen Chien-Fei , Li Da , Menassa Carol TITLE=Energy Saving at Work: Exploring the Role of Social Norms, Perceived Control and Ascribed Responsibility in Different Office Layouts JOURNAL=Frontiers in Built Environment VOLUME=6 YEAR=2020 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/built-environment/articles/10.3389/fbuil.2020.00016 DOI=10.3389/fbuil.2020.00016 ISSN=2297-3362 ABSTRACT=

Reducing energy consumption in office buildings is critical for improving energy efficiency and decarbonization at the large scale. This study (N = 854) investigated the influence of social-psychological factors on energy-saving intention and behaviors in single-person versus shared offices based on the extend model of Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). We found that ascription of responsibility, a variable added to the TPB, is the strongest predictor of energy-saving intentions for both single-person and shared offices. Interestingly, while injunctive norms are an important predictor of behavioral intention for single-person offices, descriptive norms are an important one for shared offices. Energy-saving intention mediates the influences of the aforementioned variables on energy-saving behaviors. Contrary to our hypotheses, perceived control over energy-saving and perceived ease of access to building control features have no direct impacts on energy-saving behaviors in single-person offices, while they have impacts on energy-saving behaviors in shared offices. This study provides useful insights for building designers and occupant behavior and energy modeling researchers.