Consumer’s willingness to purchase green home appliances

Abstract

‘Energy saving, reducing carbon emissions, rationalising power consumption are some of the topics that are garnering critical attention in global environmental meets and green research. While so much of damage has been done to nature in the course of development, environmental concern is also on the rise which has been partly contributed by the awareness on environmental degradation. Like other countries, the UAE is also combatting this detrimental and regressive issue. The country has been ranking high on energy consumption per capita, emissions per capita and among ecologically wasteful countries in the past decade. There has been a multitude of factors responsible for UAE to rank high on such unsustainability indices, the main reason being the abundant availability of the hydrocarbon reserves leading to cheaper fuel costs, the negligent attitude of the residents towards the surplus reserves and lack of awareness. The UAE is one of the world's major consumer of electricity. In September 2012, the UAE was reported to be using 225% more energy than Europe, and its per capita carbon footprint was four times higher than average worldwide. The country also has the highest energy consumption per capita in the world at 20-30 kilowatt hours per day while the global average is 7-15 kilowatt hours per day. Realizing the dire need to check the appalling power consumption statistics, the Government along with the utility provider and the corporate rolled out series of green initiatives to inform and educate the consumer on the need to rationalize consumption. The Government took serious measures to uplift the country’s green image like that of housing the renewable energy research centre, IRENA and establishing the world’s model sustainable city with least emission levels – Masdar on its soil. There were strategic green measures taken which included policy changes and incorporating organisations to facilitate green growth, legislative measures taken to provide a legal framework through regulations that support the country’s green agenda, rewards and recognitions to encourage green adoption; all aimed to amend the country’s green statistics. Plans are upfront in developing the nation into a hub of alternative energy and green research. With the launch of key initiatives such as the 'Green Economy

for sustainable development', the aim of UAE is to become a world leader in the export and re-export of green products and technologies.