Abstract for: Correlation Between Rebound Effect and Household Income

Implementation of energy efficiency measures will play a crucial role in future energy consumption in buildings. However, there is inadequate understanding about the effectiveness of energy efficiency policies, particularly due to the rebound effect. This study presents a dynamic simulation model that comprises the impacts of physical processes such as aging, as well as social aspects such as households’ energy conservation efforts. The focus of this study is to develop a framework to enhance our understanding of consumer behavior by studying the correlation between the rebound effect and the household income for five household categories. Based on this analysis, as expected, the lower-class households were found to be the most sensitive household categories to high energy expenses. It was also observed that the rebound effect is higher for middle-class households compared to lower-class and upper-class households. The following step of this research is to estimate the long-term benefits of energy efficiency polices based on the outcomes of this study regarding the rebound effect for different household categories.