What can we learn from high-frequency appliance-level energy metering? Results from a field experiment

Victor L. Chen, Magali Delmas, William J. Kaiser and Stephen L. Locke

Energy Policy, 2015, vol. 77, issue C, 164-175

Abstract: This study uses high-frequency appliance-level electricity consumption data for 124 apartments over 24 months to provide a better understanding of appliance-level electricity consumption behavior. We conduct our analysis in a standardized set of apartments with similar appliances, which allows us to identify behavioral differences in electricity use. The Results show that households' estimations of appliance-level consumption are inaccurate and that they overestimate lighting use by 75% and underestimate plug-load use by 29%. We find that similar households using the same major appliances exhibit substantial variation in appliance-level electricity consumption. For example, households in the 75th percentile of HVAC usage use over four times as much electricity as a user in the 25th percentile. Additionally, we show that behavior accounts for 25–58% of this variation. Lastly, we find that replacing the existing refrigerator with a more energy-efficient model leads to overall energy savings of approximately 11%. This is equivalent to results from behavioral interventions targeting all appliances but might not be as cost effective. Our findings have important implications for behavior-based energy conservation policies.

Keywords: Energy monitoring; Consumer behavior; Field experiments; Information feedback; Smart metering; Appliance electricity usage (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (18)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:enepol:v:77:y:2015:i:c:p:164-175

DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2014.11.021

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