Context

Research labs consume 3 to 10 times more energy per sqm than office spaces. Although costly, it is crucial to ensure a high and stable energy supply for research as energy costs rise and the environmental sustainability of research in the long run.

Studies show that lab users can influence 35% of lab energy consumption. This means that beyond technical improvement, there is a margin for behavioural interventions to increase energy savings in labs.

Goals

This project focuses on identifying and understanding the barriers and opportunities for energy savings in labs from a behavioural perspective. The main objective is to design and test targeted behavioural interventions to improve energy efficiency and savings.

Methods

• A workshop with JRC lab managers, scientists, and technicians to identify barriers and opportunities for energy savings in scientific laboratories, explore potential behaviour change in the lab to inform the design of behavioural interventions in Ispra and other JRC sites, and understand the role of the JRC in promoting energy efficiency across laboratories in the EU.

• A field experiment to test behavioural interventions based on the insights gathered in the workshop. Energy credits are one example of interventions that could be designed and tested.

• A survey to lab users across the EU to understand their barriers and solutions to energy efficiency. This survey will also provide insights to evaluate the JRC’s role in this process and added value.

Expected outcomes

The results of this study will be presented in a series of reports. One will highlight the workshop results with lab managers, discussing the main barriers and proposed solutions. A second report will present the results of the behavioural interventions with a discussion on the main implications for energy savings in laboratories. A third report will present the survey results, discussing preferences and views gathered from a representative sample of lab users across the EU.