Barriers to lowering energy consumption in the residential sector: an empirical analysis of the French case.

Summary Reducing energy consumption in the residential sector is a major challenge in the context of energy transition and the fight against climate change. However, despite the public policies in place, French sectoral energy consumption is struggling to fall. Through four empirical tests, this thesis looks at the obstacles to the reduction of energy consumption in the French residential sector, focusing on the role of individual factors. In the first chapter, which is part of the literature on barriers to energy efficiency investment and the "energy paradox" (Jaffe and Stavins, 1994), we use the discrete choice method to highlight the role of uncertainty about the quality of renovation work and the price of energy as a barrier to energy efficiency investment. The second chapter provides empirical insight into the role of socio-economic factors, individual preferences for comfort and housing energy performance in explaining residential energy consumption. The third chapter examines the energy performance gap at the dwelling level (actual vs. theoretical energy consumption) and its individual and socio-economic determinants, via quantile regression. Finally, the fourth chapter focuses on the dynamic interactions between energy efficiency and energy consumption by addressing the issue of the direct rebound effect for residential heating use in France.