Estimating Residential ESG Preferences

Residential energy consumption plays a significant role in climate change, contributing 9.1% of the U.S. CO2 emissions. Renovating owner-occupied homes is essential for addressing this issue, yet progress in retrofitting remains unchanged. Literary analysis poses three possible channels for the lack of uptick in adoption of green retrofits: financial constraints, lack of awareness, or sustainable preferences. In practice, these elements are not easily separated from each other. This vignette study investigates whether sustainable preferences are the barrier to adoption by controlling for awareness and cost constraints. To control, survey participants are given a list of viable renovations and each renovations effect on cost, emissions, and resident well-being. By using a discounted cash flow to create monthly cost adjustments, we are removing the upfront costs of renovating which alleviates cost concerns. The results of the survey of over 100 people from 37 different states show that homeowners prioritize repairs and quality of life over environmental or social concerns.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2024

Author dc:creator

• Noga, Christopher W.

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Rigobon, Roberto

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted
• Copyright retained by author(s)

Licence dc:rights.uri

• https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC-EDU/1.0/

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/156811

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/156811