Document Type
Honors Project - Open Access
Abstract
This paper examines how differences in operating costs and market availability affect ownership of Energy Star dishwashers and clothes washers. I use logistic regressions and data from the 2009 Residential Energy Consumption Survey and the EPA’s Energy Star program to quantify these effects. Results indicate that controlling for temporal changes is very important; after doing so I find that differences in availability of efficient appliances do not affect ownership patterns. Overall, the frequency of appliance use does not increase the household’s responsiveness to electricity prices, which suggests that consumers do not fully value efficiency when choosing among appliances.
Recommended Citation
Mate, Rosamond, "What Factors Influence Consumers’ Decisions to Purchase Energy Star Appliances?" (2012). Economics Honors Projects. 48.
https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/economics_honors_projects/48
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Comments
Rosamond's paper tied for Third Place in the Senior Thesis category at the Minnesota Economic Association meeting in October of 2012. Thesis adviser is Professor Sarah West, Macalester College Economics