A Spatial Analysis of the Fuel Economy Rebound Effect Focusing on Small and Rural Communities
Conference Year
January 2023
Abstract
Rebound effect occurs where reduced energy costs cause an increase in energy demand, which can therefore reduce the expected benefits of energy efficiency policies. Previous research about the rebound effect has been conducted using aggregate data and there is very little information about how the rebound effect may vary across community types, including small cities and rural areas. We evaluate the rebound effect and how it varies across diverse community types using a unique disaggregate, longitudinal, dataset that we create from Vermont vehicle registration and inspection records from 2017 to 2019. We estimate the rebound effect using regression model based on the relative change in VMT and the fuel intensity of each household vehicle during this period. Rebound effect varies across community types and is larger in rural areas. This finding has important implications for understanding the effects of GHG mitigation strategies and the challenges faced in mitigating transportation related GHG emissions in rural areas.
Primary Faculty Mentor Name
Gregory Rowangould
Status
Graduate
Student College
College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences
Primary Research Category
Engineering and Math Science
A Spatial Analysis of the Fuel Economy Rebound Effect Focusing on Small and Rural Communities
Rebound effect occurs where reduced energy costs cause an increase in energy demand, which can therefore reduce the expected benefits of energy efficiency policies. Previous research about the rebound effect has been conducted using aggregate data and there is very little information about how the rebound effect may vary across community types, including small cities and rural areas. We evaluate the rebound effect and how it varies across diverse community types using a unique disaggregate, longitudinal, dataset that we create from Vermont vehicle registration and inspection records from 2017 to 2019. We estimate the rebound effect using regression model based on the relative change in VMT and the fuel intensity of each household vehicle during this period. Rebound effect varies across community types and is larger in rural areas. This finding has important implications for understanding the effects of GHG mitigation strategies and the challenges faced in mitigating transportation related GHG emissions in rural areas.