The value, for the consumer, of a practice of controlling consumption: the case of electricity

This thesis aims to understand the meaning that the consumer ascribes to his acts when one practices electricity consumption control (ECC) inside the dwelling. The value perceived by consumers associated with the various ECC's activities, as, for example, to switch off devices in sleep mode, constitute a reflection of the meaning the consumer confers to this practice. We wondered, at first, about the nature of the sources of valuation and depreciation which emerge from the ECC. We identified twenty five sources which are so many appreciations or depreciations of the ECC for the consumer. Then, we tried to determine how these sources are structured and we were able to determine that, for consumers, the value of the ECC is characterized by seven components. Four of them are components of appreciation (environmental and citizen, of household management, the eudemonistic well-being and secondary profits). The three other are components of depreciation (experiential, social and associated with a lack of knowledge). Subsequently, we tried to understand how the value of the ECC emerges from the practice itself. We, also, wondered about the role of the various components (of appreciation and depreciation) in the ECC valuation for the consumer and in the conduct of action. We were able to confirm that the more an individual realizes ECC's gestures, the more he appreciates this practice via the components of appreciation and the less he depreciates it via the components of depreciation. We also noticed that the meaning of the practice evolves and expands when practice becomes intensified. Two main levers set apart: the appreciation of ECC through its consequences on the household management and the eudemonistic well-being which is removed from this practice by the individual. The first one has a very strong influence on the evaluation of ECC by the consumers, and the second, once an individual really practices ECC, drives him to continue along this path. (author)