Consumer needs and their satiation properties asdrivers of the rebound effectThe case of energy-efficient washing machines

The possibility of the “rebound effect” to technological progress has triggered a debatein energy economics concerning the usefulness of the promotion of efficiency progress. Until now,a multitude of empirical evidence has been gathered so to assess the magnitude of the effect in thefirst place. Progress in theoretical research has been rather modest, however. In this paper, weargue for a broadening of the theoretical basis beyond neoclassical consumer theory. We morespecifically suggest turning toward consumption theories that deal with consumer needs andlearning processes. We postulate that the rebound effect to energy efficiency progress is a specialcase of behavioral reactions to technological change more in general. Our central hypothesis is thatrebound effects will only occur as long as the consumer needs appealed to by the product are notyet satiated. We exemplarily illustrate how to apply these arguments for the case of energyefficientwashing machines.