Factors affecting energy-efficiency investment in the hotel industry: survey results from Spain

Increasing energy efficiency is a major way of saving energy and thus reducing energy expenses. However, adoption of energy efficiency is generally low, as demonstrated by the energy efficiency gap. To understand that gap, this paper analyses the factors that affect how the energy efficiency attribu...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: López Bernabé, Elena, Foudi, S., Galarraga, I.
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universidad del País Vasco
Repositorio:Addi. Archivo Digital para la Docencia y la Investigación
OAI Identifier:oai:addi.ehu.eus:10810/55849
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10810/55849
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Air conditioning
Hotels
HVAC
Investments
Surveys
Climate condition
Energy efficiency investments
Energy efficiency policies
Energy expense
Energy-efficiency gaps
Environmental concerns
Paper analysis
Potential response
Energy efficiency
Descripción
Sumario:Increasing energy efficiency is a major way of saving energy and thus reducing energy expenses. However, adoption of energy efficiency is generally low, as demonstrated by the energy efficiency gap. To understand that gap, this paper analyses the factors that affect how the energy efficiency attribute is rated in investment in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems in the hotel industry in Spain. A survey conducted on two hundred owners of hotels, hostels and holiday cottages (referred to jointly here for the sake of convenience as the hotel industry ) shows that the value placed on energy efficiency is influenced not just by climate conditions, environmental concern and type of hotel but also by other attributes of the HVAC system such as brand reliability, price and performance. The hotel industry may also be identifying EE as a proxy for quality rather than savings. Designing the right energy-efficiency policy entails accounting for potential responses by agents, and this analysis helps identify those drivers to which they may or may not respond. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. part of Springer Nature.