The Response of Small Manufacturers to the Energy Environment — an Exploratory Study

Abstract

This research examines the impact of the severe energy/weather conditions during the Winter 1976–77 on smaller manufacturers in Western Pennsylvania. It was found that size of firm, energy intensity and extent of energy curtailment were not related (statistically) to the kind and extent of firms' energy conservation programs and/or the nature of the managerial response to the above mentioned conditions. The sample firms had made few major commitments to improve energy efficiency. Lack of capital resources and a perception that energy savings would not significantly affect profitability emerge as major inhibiting factors to investment in energy conservation.