George Lakoff, a professor of cognitive linguistics at UC Berkeley, has thoroughly investigated how our conceptual system plays a central role in the way we see the world. Take the concept of health; humans strive for good health and good health is rewarded by enabling an individual to obtain insurance. There is status associated with being healthy; professional athletes are revered for their physical accomplishments and eating healthy is equated with a longer life.
Now lets relate that concept of health to energy efficiency. One of the ways that efficiency has been marketed is with the concept of creating a healthy home. A healthy home implies that the home is currently sick, unwell or diseased but when I look around my home, I see a few dust bunnies in the corners and some hairline cracks in the walls caused by living in earthquake country. I don’t see my home as unhealthy because I am not unhealthy. Conceptually, referring to the health of the home doesn’t carry the same meaning as physical health. Yet the marketing for a healthy home is the consistent message for energy efficiency.
Exploring this a bit further, when we get a cold or come down with a cough we often treat the symptoms and perhaps get a bit more sleep but the majority of people don’t seek professional advise immediately. We procrastinate until the symptoms worsen before calling a doctor. A non-emergency situation has many of us adopting this wait and see approach.
Now bring that mindset to energy efficiency: If I’m going to wait and see if my physical health declines before calling a doctor then I certainly will wait for energy efficient improvements until my home gives me abundant signs that it needs a remedy. In other words, the healthy home metaphor doesn’t speak to the procrastinating masses.
A study conducted almost two years ago by Smart Power revealed that to change consumer behavior toward energy efficiency consumers needed to be inspired.
They do not want to be preached to. They want to feel that they are a part of a “we” approach. They want to understand and feel the real-world ramifications of their actions. They’re busy. They’re over worked. They want quick, simple tasks they can do that will make a difference. They want to feel smart and cool. They want to feel empowered and knowledgeable about saving money and saving energy.
What this study identifies is that the conceptual frame of strength speaks more clearly to energy efficiency than health. A strong home, a stable home, a structurally sound home, a firm foundation, all represent an empowered consumer. These metaphors represent moral character as physical strength. Implementing energy efficiency to strengthen your home represents a level of moral goodness.
Efficiency as Morality now there’s a frame that just might be a game changer.
Lisa Goddard
