| ID | 174987 |
| Title Proper | Motivating non-ratepaying households with feedback and social nudges: |
| Other Title Information | a cautionary tale |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Crago, Christine L |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Behavioral interventions have been shown to be valuable instruments in reducing energy use among ratepaying customers, but their effect on non-ratepayers has received less attention. This study uses a randomized controlled trial research design to examine the effect of feedback and a social nudge in the form of peer comparison on energy consumption of non-ratepaying households. The study setting is a university family housing complex, and findings are based on hourly observations of energy use by 62 households over thirteen weeks. Our results suggest that neither feedback or peer comparison is an effective instrument to reduce energy use of non-ratepaying households, and may even increase energy consumption in some contexts. We find heterogeneous effects among households that are low and high users of energy in the pre-treatment period, with high users increasing energy consumption in response to feedback. Thus, caution is needed in applying behavioral interventions when financial incentives to reinforce intended effects are absent. |
| `In' analytical Note | Energy Policy Vol. 145, Oct 2020: p.111764 |
| Journal Source | Energy Policy 2020-10 145 |
| Key Words | Energy conservation ; Feedback ; Peer comparison ; Social Nudges |