Investigation on energy conservation actions and motivation of Nazarbayev University dormitory residents

Abstract

Climate change is one of the most important global issues nowadays and it is important to achieve sustainable energy use and conservation to reduce its impact. Researchers claim that buildings contribute to approximately 30% of the global energy consumption. Therefore, besides development of energy efficient buildings and different low-energy technologies to address the climate change challenge, researchers state that it is also critical to alter energy consumption behavior of individuals, as it is a key factor affecting energy consumption in buildings. In order to develop ways for reducing energy consumption in buildings, it is useful to consider the university dormitories as an example. On November 18, 2015, Nazarbayev University announced its Green Campus initiative to become more eco-friendly and sustainable. The purpose of this policy analysis exercise (PAE) is to examine the energy consumption behavior of students living in Nazarbayev University dormitories and to advise Nazarbayev University’s Green Campus office management in developing specific policies to reduce energy consumption in student dormitories.