Evidence from Two Large Field Experiments that Peer Comparison Feedback Can Reduce Residential Energy Usage

Ian Ayres (), Sophie Raseman and Alice Shih

No 15386, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: By providing feedback to customers on home electricity and natural gas usage with a focus on peer comparisons, utilities can reduce energy consumption at a low cost. We analyze data from two large-scale, random-assignment field experiments conducted by utility companies providing electricity (the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD)) and electricity and natural gas (Puget Sound Energy (PSE)), in partnership with a private company, Positive Energy/oPower, which provides monthly or quarterly mailed peer feedback reports to customers. We find reductions in energy consumption of 1.2% (PSE) to 2.1% percent (SMUD), with the decrease sustained over time (seven months (PSE) and twelve months (SMUD)).

JEL-codes: O13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2009-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene and nep-exp
Note: EEE
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (91)

Published as Evidence from Two Large Field Experiments that Peer Comparison Feedback Can Reduce Residential Energy Usage, 29 JOURNAL OF LAW, ECONOMICS AND ORGANIZATION 992 (2013) (with Sophie Raseman & Alice Shih).

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.nber.org/papers/w15386.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nbr:nberwo:15386

Ordering information: This working paper can be ordered from
http://www.nber.org/papers/w15386

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc National Bureau of Economic Research, 1050 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.. Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by ().