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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychol.
Sec. Environmental Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1400410
This article is part of the Research Topic How Do Behavior Science Interventions to Reduce Environmental Impacts Work in The Real World? View all 17 articles
Workplace Sustainability: Energy-Saving Behaviors in Office Environments of Thailand
Provisionally accepted- 1 Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Nomi, Japan
- 2 Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology, Thammasat University, Pathum Thani, Thailand
- 3 National Electronics and Computer Technology Center, Pathum Thani, Thailand
Energy consumption in office environments significantly impacts global energy usage, particularly due to lighting, air conditioning, and electronic devices. Urbanization and economic growth in Thailand exacerbate energy demands, positioning office environments as essential for energy conservation efforts. Traditional strategies have primarily focused on technological solutions, but these approaches often fail to address the pivotal role of human behavior in shaping energy consumption. This study develops a culturally contextualized framework by integrating the Motivation-Opportunity-Ability (MOA) model, the Norm Activation Model (NAM), and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to examine key determinants of workplace energy-saving behavior. Data were collected from 105 office workers in Bangkok, Thailand, through an online survey. Using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), this study validated the framework to analyze the relationships between motivation, opportunity, ability, intention, and behavior within hierarchical workplace structures and collective decision-making settings. The results highlight motivation and ability as significant predictors of energy-saving behavior, reinforcing the role of awareness of consequences, personal norms, and perceived control. However, opportunity, intention, and individual comfort exhibit negative relationships with energy-saving behavior, suggesting that structural policies, behavioral intentions, and thermal satisfaction interact in complex ways. These findings underscore the importance of contextually adaptive workplace policies that account for behavioral and structural energy conservation challenges. By providing a culturally sensitive framework, this study offers insights for policymakers and organizational leaders to develop effective and sustainable energy-saving strategies that integrate behavioral considerations alongside technological interventions.
Keywords: energy-saving behavior1, ability-motivation-opportunity model2, norm activation model3, theory of planned behavior4, structural equation modeling5
Received: 04 Jun 2024; Accepted: 11 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 HNIN, Javed, Karnjana, Jeenanunta and Kohda. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Jessada Karnjana, National Electronics and Computer Technology Center, Pathum Thani, Thailand
Youji Kohda, Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Nomi, Japan
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