pays”. On other hand, because of the absence of the
father in H4—studying abroad—the mother was
responsible for the household expenses. All mothers in
four houses were not aware of the new tariff system and
the new bill format—the new bill format shows if your
consumption is within the average. Two out of four
knew about the government subsidies, but how much
the government pays was a chock. Regarding the
campaigns, they agreed that they rarely watch television, and sometimes the campaign messages are not
stimulating and efficient enough to have any impact.
5 Conclusion
The study presented in this paper aimed to explore the energy
behavior of UAE nationals in their homes (large single
detached villas). A small sample of Emiratis residing in villas
was the focus of the study. Housing characteristics, energy
bills, and demographics were first collected. Semi-structured
interviews were carried out in June 2016. The results indicate
a strong link between occupants’ behavior and energy usage
reflected through functional space usage patterns linked to
lifestyle, cultural factors and expected social norms and
perhaps, more importantly, a lack of awareness. Often
enough, the women with whom the interviews were carried
were not aware of energy bills as not involved in the
households’ expenditures management. These exploratory
results need to be validated with a larger sample. Further, the
fully subsidized energy for nationals at the time of the
interview may need to be revisited in light of the introduction
of fee-based on usage as this may carry an impact.
References
(PDF) Energy-efficiency interventions in housing: Learning from the
inhabitants. ResearchGate. Retrieved October, 27, 2018, from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233108103_Energyefficiency_interventions_in_housing_Learning_from_the_
inhabitants.
(PDF) Occupant Behavior: Impact on Energy Use of Private Offices.
ResearchGate. Retrieved October 27, 2018, from https://www.
researchgate.net/publication/258246691_Occupant_Behavior_
Impact_on_Energy_Use_of_Private_Offices.
Alaileh, R., Yousif, M., Fadul, A., & Preece M. (2013). Energy
efficiency and demand side management in Abu Dhabi. In 2013 7th
IEEE GCC Conference and Exhibition (GCC) (pp. 559–564).
Anker-Nilssen, P. (2003). Household energy use and the environment
—A conflicting issue. Applied Energy, 76(1–3), 189–196.
Barr, S., Gilg, A. W., & Ford, N. (2005). The household energy gap:
Examining the divide between habitual- and purchase-related
conservation behaviours. Energy Policy, 33(11), 1425–1444.
Brandon, G., & Lewis, A. (1999). Reducing household energy
consumption: A qualitative and quantitative field study. Journal
of Environmental Psychology, 19(1), 75–85.
Clevenger, C., & Haymaker, J. (2006). The impact of the building
occupant on energy modeling simulations.
Electricity consumption per capita by country—Thematic Map—
World. Retrieved October 26, 2018, from https://www.
indexmundi.com/map/?v=81000.
Gardner, G. T., & Stern, P. C. (1996). Environmental problems and
human behavior. Needham Heights, MA, US: Allyn & Bacon.
Khawaja, M. (2012, September 9). UAE energy consumption 225%
more than Europe. Arabian Gazette. Retrieved October 26, 2018,
from https://arabiangazette.com/uae-energy-consumption-europe/.
Lopes, L., Hokoi, S., Miura, H., & Shuhei, K. (2005). Energy efficiency
and energy savings in Japanese residential buildings—research
methodology and surveyed results. Energy and Buildings, 37(7),
698–706.
Moll, H. C., Noorman, K. J., Kok, R., Engström, R., Throne-Holst, H.,
& Clark, C. (2005). Pursuing more sustainable consumption by
analyzing household metabolism in european countries and cities.
Journal of Industrial Ecology, 9(1–2), 259–275.
Ouyang, J., & Hokao, K. (2009). Energy-saving potential by improving
occupants’ behavior in urban residential sector in Hangzhou City,
China. Energy and Buildings, 41, 711–720.
Rafsanjani, H. N., Ahn, C. R., & Alahmad, M. (2015). A Review of
approaches for sensing, understanding, and improving
occupancy-related energy-use behaviors in commercial buildings.
Energies, 8(10), 10996–11029.
Report: United Arab Emirates has highest per capita ‘Ecological
footprint’. Associated Press (2015, March 25). Retrieved October
27, 2018, from https://www.foxnews.com/story/report-united-arabemirates-has-highest-per-capita-ecological-footprint.
Santin, O., Itard, L., & Visscher, H. (2009). The effect of occupancy
and building characteristics on energy use for space and water
heating in Dutch residential stock. Energy Build—ENERG BLDG,
41, 1223–1232.
Seryak, J., & Kissock, K. (2003). Occupancy and behavioral affects on
residential energy use. In Proceedings of Solar Conference, June
2003 (pp. 717–722).
Steg, L., & Vlek, C. (2009). Encouraging pro-environmental behaviour:
An integrative review and research agenda. Journal Environment
Psychology, 29(3), 309–317.
Trotta, G. (2018). Factors affecting energy-saving behaviours and
energy efficiency investments in British households. Energy Policy,
114, 529–539.
United Arab Emirates Population. (2018). Worldometers. Retrieved
October 27, 2018, from http://www.worldometers.info/worldpopulation/united-arab-emirates-population/.
United Arab Emirates—Construction|export.gov. Retrieved October
26, 2018, https://www.export.gov/article?id=United-Arab-EmiratesConstruction.
United Arab Emirates—Electricity—Consumption—Historical Data
Graphs per Year. Retrieved October 26, 2018, from https://www.
indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?v=81&c=tc&l=en.
Yohanis, Y. G. (2012). Domestic energy use and householders’ energy
behaviour. Energy Policy, 41, 654–665.
130
A. A. Ameri and K. T. Aoul
father in H4—studying abroad—the mother was
responsible for the household expenses. All mothers in
four houses were not aware of the new tariff system and
the new bill format—the new bill format shows if your
consumption is within the average. Two out of four
knew about the government subsidies, but how much
the government pays was a chock. Regarding the
campaigns, they agreed that they rarely watch television, and sometimes the campaign messages are not
stimulating and efficient enough to have any impact.
5 Conclusion
The study presented in this paper aimed to explore the energy
behavior of UAE nationals in their homes (large single
detached villas). A small sample of Emiratis residing in villas
was the focus of the study. Housing characteristics, energy
bills, and demographics were first collected. Semi-structured
interviews were carried out in June 2016. The results indicate
a strong link between occupants’ behavior and energy usage
reflected through functional space usage patterns linked to
lifestyle, cultural factors and expected social norms and
perhaps, more importantly, a lack of awareness. Often
enough, the women with whom the interviews were carried
were not aware of energy bills as not involved in the
households’ expenditures management. These exploratory
results need to be validated with a larger sample. Further, the
fully subsidized energy for nationals at the time of the
interview may need to be revisited in light of the introduction
of fee-based on usage as this may carry an impact.
References
(PDF) Energy-efficiency interventions in housing: Learning from the
inhabitants. ResearchGate. Retrieved October, 27, 2018, from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233108103_Energyefficiency_interventions_in_housing_Learning_from_the_
inhabitants.
(PDF) Occupant Behavior: Impact on Energy Use of Private Offices.
ResearchGate. Retrieved October 27, 2018, from https://www.
researchgate.net/publication/258246691_Occupant_Behavior_
Impact_on_Energy_Use_of_Private_Offices.
Alaileh, R., Yousif, M., Fadul, A., & Preece M. (2013). Energy
efficiency and demand side management in Abu Dhabi. In 2013 7th
IEEE GCC Conference and Exhibition (GCC) (pp. 559–564).
Anker-Nilssen, P. (2003). Household energy use and the environment
—A conflicting issue. Applied Energy, 76(1–3), 189–196.
Barr, S., Gilg, A. W., & Ford, N. (2005). The household energy gap:
Examining the divide between habitual- and purchase-related
conservation behaviours. Energy Policy, 33(11), 1425–1444.
Brandon, G., & Lewis, A. (1999). Reducing household energy
consumption: A qualitative and quantitative field study. Journal
of Environmental Psychology, 19(1), 75–85.
Clevenger, C., & Haymaker, J. (2006). The impact of the building
occupant on energy modeling simulations.
Electricity consumption per capita by country—Thematic Map—
World. Retrieved October 26, 2018, from https://www.
indexmundi.com/map/?v=81000.
Gardner, G. T., & Stern, P. C. (1996). Environmental problems and
human behavior. Needham Heights, MA, US: Allyn & Bacon.
Khawaja, M. (2012, September 9). UAE energy consumption 225%
more than Europe. Arabian Gazette. Retrieved October 26, 2018,
from https://arabiangazette.com/uae-energy-consumption-europe/.
Lopes, L., Hokoi, S., Miura, H., & Shuhei, K. (2005). Energy efficiency
and energy savings in Japanese residential buildings—research
methodology and surveyed results. Energy and Buildings, 37(7),
698–706.
Moll, H. C., Noorman, K. J., Kok, R., Engström, R., Throne-Holst, H.,
& Clark, C. (2005). Pursuing more sustainable consumption by
analyzing household metabolism in european countries and cities.
Journal of Industrial Ecology, 9(1–2), 259–275.
Ouyang, J., & Hokao, K. (2009). Energy-saving potential by improving
occupants’ behavior in urban residential sector in Hangzhou City,
China. Energy and Buildings, 41, 711–720.
Rafsanjani, H. N., Ahn, C. R., & Alahmad, M. (2015). A Review of
approaches for sensing, understanding, and improving
occupancy-related energy-use behaviors in commercial buildings.
Energies, 8(10), 10996–11029.
Report: United Arab Emirates has highest per capita ‘Ecological
footprint’. Associated Press (2015, March 25). Retrieved October
27, 2018, from https://www.foxnews.com/story/report-united-arabemirates-has-highest-per-capita-ecological-footprint.
Santin, O., Itard, L., & Visscher, H. (2009). The effect of occupancy
and building characteristics on energy use for space and water
heating in Dutch residential stock. Energy Build—ENERG BLDG,
41, 1223–1232.
Seryak, J., & Kissock, K. (2003). Occupancy and behavioral affects on
residential energy use. In Proceedings of Solar Conference, June
2003 (pp. 717–722).
Steg, L., & Vlek, C. (2009). Encouraging pro-environmental behaviour:
An integrative review and research agenda. Journal Environment
Psychology, 29(3), 309–317.
Trotta, G. (2018). Factors affecting energy-saving behaviours and
energy efficiency investments in British households. Energy Policy,
114, 529–539.
United Arab Emirates Population. (2018). Worldometers. Retrieved
October 27, 2018, from http://www.worldometers.info/worldpopulation/united-arab-emirates-population/.
United Arab Emirates—Construction|export.gov. Retrieved October
26, 2018, https://www.export.gov/article?id=United-Arab-EmiratesConstruction.
United Arab Emirates—Electricity—Consumption—Historical Data
Graphs per Year. Retrieved October 26, 2018, from https://www.
indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?v=81&c=tc&l=en.
Yohanis, Y. G. (2012). Domestic energy use and householders’ energy
behaviour. Energy Policy, 41, 654–665.
130
A. A. Ameri and K. T. Aoul