Behavior Wedge Profile Model Development – CMB 2013 Report

A growing body of research has inspired urban sustainability directors around the country to address the human dimensions of energy and carbon as part of a comprehensive approach to address city-level sustainability challenges. Despite mounting interest, however, these efforts have been thwarted by the lack of affordable, city-level assessments of behavior-based savings opportunities. While city-specific survey-based approaches do offer a means of collecting much needed information about existing conditions and practices, they are often expensive and time-consuming to implement. On the other hand, the existing set of national-level assessments provide an affordable alternative source of data but lack the ability to account for important sources of regional and city-level variation whether in climate conditions, building stock, technology saturation, technology use practices, attitudes or other factors that influence how energy is used locally and which types of behaviors are likely to yield the most promising savings. This report documents a third alternative that provides a low-cost means for developing city-specific assessments of behavior-based energy and carbon reduction opportunities. The product of this approach is a city-specific Behavior Wedge Profile that highlights local opportunities and targets that can guide behavior-based strategies.

Download file