In spring 1977, just as California was emerging from one of the worst droughts in its history, 215 Palo Alto homeowners were interviewed about their views on energy and water conservation, and about the extent to which they had adopted 11 energy-conserving practices (ECP) in the home. The objective was to discover variables both important to respondents' decisions to conserve gas in their homes and influential as part of communication campaigns. House structure accounted for 29% of the variance in actual gas usage, with adoption of the 11 ECP explaining 9% of the remaining variance in gas usage. Adoption levels were predicted by the homeowner's assessment of the personal consequences of adopting each ECP, by ability to make home repairs, by past experience with shortages, and by awareness of a social norm or conservation ethic. The findings suggest that very practical and specific "how to" information, rather than persuasive communication aimed at changing general energy-related beliefs, is needed in the promotion of energy conservation. In addition, neighborhood information networks could prove effective channels for the diffusion of energy conserving practices. (Author/RL)