iii Wood-burning stoves remain a prevalent method of home heating across diverse Israeli communities—driven by economic, social, and cultural factors. While public awareness of their environmental and health impacts is growing, around 5% of urban, suburban, and rural households continue to rely on them during winter, contributing as much as 14% of Israel’s PMS emissions. This study focuses on middleclass Jewish households to better understand the motivations behind continued stove use and to inform behavior change strategies. We argue that home heating is not merely a technical or functional decision, but part of a broader lifestyle shaped by cultural norms, aesthetic preferences, leisure habits, and class identity. Stove use often symbolizes comfort, tradition, and ecological connection—even when it contradicts sustainability goals. Despite growing concern over emissions, the emotional and symbolic appeal of wood-burning stoves remains strong, offering users a sense of autonomy, closeness to nature, and family intimacy. These findings reveal a gap between environmental values and everyday behaviors. While many users express ecological awareness, their practices often fall short of sustainable outcomes. To date, such social and cultural drivers have been largely absent from Israel’s energy policy discourse. Recognizing wood-burning stoves as lifestyle practices rather than just environmental hazards calls for more nuanced policy approaches. Beyond regulation and enforcement, effective interventions must engage users' values, routines, and identities. This research offers a foundation for data-driven, context-sensitive sustainability policies, and supports the development of tools to raise awareness at individual, community, and national levels. Abstract
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