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Switzerland is committed to phasing out nuclear energy production and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050.
Presenting renewable energy as the standard option saw 80 per cent of Swiss consumers staying with the ‘green default’.
The effect endured over the four years for which data was available
There was no evidence of ‘moral licence’ – consumers didn’t use more energy because it was cleaner.
The study shows that non-monetary incentives can be highly effective in changing behaviour.
Researchers studying the Swiss energy market have found that making green energy the default option for consumers leads to an enduring shift to renewables and thus has the potential to cut CO2 emissions by millions of tonnes.
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Researchers studying the Swiss energy market have found that making green energy the default option for consumers leads to an enduring shift to renewables and thus has the potential to cut CO2 emissions by millions of tonnes.
The study, published today in
Nature Human Behaviour, investigated the effect of changes in the Swiss energy market that presented energy from renewable sources as the standard option for consumers - the green default.
Both business and private customers largely accepted the default option, even though it was slightly more expensive, and the switch to green sources proved a lasting one.
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