Adopting a more sustainable lifestyle is highly necessary given the threat of global climate change. Within the project BECaUSE methods are studied for promoting behavior change towards residential energy conservation.

The general aim of the project is to contribute to an increased understanding of behavior change in adopting a more sustainable lifestyle, by analyzing the effects of an intervention on energy conservation based on behavior focused techniques, and the way values and attitudes predict the capacity of behavior change.

This aim is specified into two research questions: (1) To what extent can psychological behavior focused techniques, like feedback and reinforcement, in the short- and long-term perspective change objective measurable energy using behaviors towards residential energy conservation? (2) To what extent are six psychological factors, value orientations, awareness of consequences, environmental concern, locus ofcontrol, moral judgment competence and sense of coherencerelated to an achieved capacity for a reduction of residential energy use?

This project focus on the combination of analyzing the effects of an intervention on actual change of behavior together with the mediating role of psychological factors and with a long term perspective, which is still lacking in earlier research.

During the intervention differentiated energy use for daily domestic behaviors are monitored in real time via an internet-based system for a period of eight weeks by the residents. The psychological factors are assessed by questionnaires. Modern feedback- and reinforcement strategies, based on learning psychology, are carried out in order to enhance motivation for change and follow-up measurements are analysing the maintenance of change for three months.

Positive results from this project may point out possible ways of implementing changes towards a sustainable lifestyle within the major part of the population. By that means this project can contribute to meet the threat of the global climate change as well as to encourage new technical developments.

A first peer-rewiewed paper is submitted and intervention data is in a final analysing stage.