THE INTERPLAY OF GENDER, AGE, EDUCATION LEVEL AND THERMAL SATISFACTION: EVIDENCE FROM BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
THE INTERPLAY OF GENDER, AGE, EDUCATION LEVEL AND THERMAL SATISFACTION: EVIDENCE FROM BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to examine the interplay between gender, age, education, and thermal satisfaction of the employees and users in public buildings, such as schools, public administration, and clinics. The study uses data collected from a random stratified sample from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The central variable of interest represents a dummy variable indicating weather individuals are satisfied with the heating of the rooms. When not controlling for the type of institution, our results indicated that gender and education level might be important to consider, along with other relevant variables. In addition to this, our results show that the results do not differ significantly when the dependent satisfaction variable is measured binary (dummy) or on a five-point Liker Scale. Logistic regression offers the interpretation in terms of odds, which might be more intuitive. Our results also indicate that age might be an important predictor in the evaluation of indoor temperature, with older participants reporting the rooms in institutions to be higher than younger ones. The results of this study could be useful when designing policies aiming to improve the energy efficiency of the building. Understanding optimal thermal satisfaction might have important consequences for thermal energy consumption, especially in the context of understanding how individual characteristics, such as gender, age, and education level, might contribute to the reduction of energy consumption. Addressing the demand side of the energy consumption equilibrium, we might contribute to the better use of existing energy sources. The results of this paper might also offer useful guidelines when designing more complex studies, especially regarding the debate if the use of a Likert scale is appropriate.

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