Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Energy Policy journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol Exploring the perceptions of drivers of energy behaviour Karlijn L. van den Broek a,b,* , Ian Walker c a Research Centre for Environmental Economics, University of Heidelberg, 69115, Heidelberg, Germany b Department of Psychology, University of Heidelberg, 69117, Heidelberg, Germany c Department of Psychology, University of Bath, BA2 7AY, Bath, UK ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Energy models Energy behaviour Perceptions Qualitative research Behaviour change ABSTRACT Many models have been applied to predict energy use and savings, yet few studies have investigated people's own perceptions of what drives their energy use. Understanding these perceptions can help design energy policy that is likely to be trusted and perceived as credible. This study assessed the perception of the drivers of energy use among young adults, who had recently become independent energy consumers, but were not yet paying for their energy bills. Focus groups were conducted in which the drivers of energy use were discussed, and dis- cussions were analysed using a framework of a successful existing behavioural model – the Comprehensive Action Determination Model – that includes both conscious and unconscious drivers of energy consumption. The findings show (1) participants did not tend to believe they saved energy to conserve the environment, (2) adherence to egoistic values, apparent in the lack of motivation to save energy in the absence of financial incentives, and (3) strong awareness of energy habits. Policy makers targeting young adults' energy use are advised how to align energy policy with these perceptions. 1. Introduction Climate change may be considered the greatest threat to hu- mankind, and to limit global warming to 1.5 °C, greater energy effi- ciency and behaviour change are indispensable (IPCC, 2018). Hence, the EU has set energy efficiency targets that commit to reducing energy consumption by 20% by 2020 and 32.5% by 2030 compared to pro- jections (European Commission, 2018). Despite such efforts, global domestic energy use is still on the rise (IEA, 2017), resulting in what is termed the energy efficiency gap: the notion that the energy savings resulting from energy policy falls short of the output that could be expected based on technical feasibility and monetary costs (Hirst and Brown, 1990). This suggests that there is room to optimise current energy policy instruments targeting domestic energy use. A key factor that determines the effectiveness of energy policy in- struments is the (perceived) relevance of the information and the credibility of energy-efficiency policy (Brown and Sovacool, 2018; Stern et al., 2016). For energy policy to be perceived as relevant, the target audience needs to perceive the policy as addressing key drivers underpinning their energy use. A wealth of models have been devel- oped and tested to investigate the antecedents of domestic energy use (Brown and Sovacool, 2018), yet few researchers have asked partici- pants what they think influences their energy behaviour in their homes. This study presents one of the very first attempts to map partici- pant's perceptions of the drivers of their energy use. These perceptions will demonstrate how householders make sense of their energy use, and what they may perceive to be the most important driver that could be addressed to change their energy use. Hence, such information can help to develop energy efficiency policy that is perceived to be relevant and credible which is likely to enhance compliance and the success of such policy. This study focused on the perceptions of young adults who have recently transitioned to become independent energy consumers. These young people are of specific interest to energy policy makers as they are laying the foundations of longstanding energy use practices. In other words, energy behaviour in the first independent home is likely to de- termine long-term energy practises and shaping this behaviour at this stage is therefore of crucial importance. Furthermore, these individuals were expected to be able to reflect more deeply on their energy use compared to householders is a more stable setting, who may be less aware of the drivers of their daily energy use due to established energy routines (Verplanken et al., 2008). 1.1. Understanding householders' perceptions of energy consumption Previous findings on householder's perspectives on their energy use predominantly stems from qualitative work. Such research on energy https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2019.03.033 Received 11 September 2018; Received in revised form 11 March 2019; Accepted 18 March 2019 * Corresponding author. Research Centre for Environmental Economics, University of Heidelberg, 69115, Heidelberg, Germany. E-mail addresses: Karlijn.vandenbroek@awi.uni-heidelberg.de (K.L. van den Broek), I.walker@bath.ac.uk (I. Walker). Energy Policy 129 (2019) 1297–1305 0301-4215/ © 2019 Published by Elsevier Ltd. T