| Main Features | Conventional Economics | Behavioural Economics | Technology Diffusion | Social Psychology | Sociology |
| Decision model | Utility maximisation based on fixed and consistent preferences | Widely varying decision heuristics and context-dependent preferences | Attitude-based evaluation of technologies and the consequences of adoption | Interacting psychological and contextual variables | Sociotechnical construction of demand |
| Decision scale | Individual | Individual | Individual/social | Individual/social | Social |
| Main research methods | Quantitative (observed behaviour) | Quantitative (controlled experiments) | Quantitative and qualitative (surveys, interviews, observed behaviour) | Quantitative and qualitative (surveys, interviews, observed behaviour) | Qualitative (interviews, observation) |
| Main dependent variables | Preferences between decision outcomes | Preferences between decision outcomes | Rate of diffusion | Self-reports of behaviour and/or energy use | Observed are self-reported behaviour |
| Main independent variables | Costs and benefits of outcomes and their respective weightings | Aspects of the decision frame, context, and elicitation method, as well as outcomes | Adopt a role in social networks, communication channels, technology attributes, and leadership of adopter | Values, attitudes, norms, sociodemographics, economic incentives, skills, capabilities, and resources | Social, cultural and technical determinants of energy demand embedded in routine behaviour |
| Empirical basis in energy use | Extensive | Very little | Some | Extensive | Some |
| Implications for interventions to reduce residential energy use | Provide information about benefits and incentives to improve cost benefit ratio and improve cognitive capacity to assess net benefits/utility | Pay attention to framing and reference points for decisions, influence, heuristic selection by emphasising associations or emotive attributes, controlled choice sets and default options | Segments target population, exploit communications channels through social networks and use change agents, identify stage of decision process and target groups and use appropriate change mechanisms, ensure desired technology. Our behaviour has key attributes | Influence attitudes only if external conditions are weak, use multiple interventions with due attention to interaction effects, identify and target barriers, design salient and personally relevant information, values provided disposition for a long term change | Work towards long-term sociotechnical regime change, exploit opportunities of transition, recognise the social role of routine are habitual behaviour, manage expectations |
| Timescales for interventions | Short-term | Short-term | Short to medium term | Short to medium term | Long-term |