Review of Energy Efficiency Adoption Literature from a Demand Side Management Perspective

It has been observed that some of the energy efficiency terms may cause misinterpretation if one does not grasp research perspectives in the energy efficiency literature. The importance of understanding these terms and perspectives emerges from the fact that varying perspectives propose different levels of energy efficiency potential, which have significant implications on determination of market barriers and the extent of market interventions. This study places a special focus on taxonomy studies in the literature, and articulates the terms and perspectives along with their implications on energy efficiency program design. Furthermore, this study also approaches the energy efficiency literature from an academic perspective, providing further research suggestions and taxonomy of earlier studies with respect to data collection and research methods, technologies, and end users studied. It is expected that the outcome of this research is going to help practitioners establish clear links between energy efficiency program design specifications and market diffusion related issues, as well as guide the next wave of academic research initiatives.