Information strategies and energy conservation behavior: A meta-analysis of experimental studies from 1975 to 2012

• Published in: Energy policy Vol. 61; pp. 729 - 739
• Main Authors: Delmas, Magali A., Fischlein, Miriam, Asensio, Omar I.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2013; Elsevier; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Applied sciences; audits; Economic data; Effectiveness studies; Electric energy; Electric power; electricity; Energy; Energy conservation; Energy consumption; Energy economics; Energy policy; Environmental impact; Environmental impact studies; Evidence; Exact sciences and technology; Experiments; field experimentation; General, economic and professional studies; Information science; Information strategies; Meta-analysis; Methodology. Modelling; Pollution control; Saving; Strategic planning; Trials; Energy conservation; Meta-analysis; Information strategies; Consumer behavior; Electric power consumption; Regression analysis; Energy savings; Metaanalysis
• ISSN: 0301-4215; 1873-6777
• DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2013.05.109

Strategies that provide information about the environmental impact of activities are increasingly seen as effective to encourage conservation behavior. This article offers the most comprehensive meta-analysis of information based energy conservation experiments conducted to date. Based on evidence from 156 published field trials and 525,479 study subjects from 1975 to 2012, we quantify the energy savings from information based strategies. On average, individuals in the experiments reduced their electricity consumption by 7.4%. Our results also show that strategies providing individualized audits and consulting are comparatively more effective for conservation behavior than strategies that provide historical, peer comparison energy feedback. Interestingly, we find that pecuniary feedback and incentives lead to a relative increase in energy usage rather than induce conservation. We also find that the conservation effect diminishes with the rigor of the study, indicating potential methodological issues in the current literature. •We conduct a meta-analysis of information-based energy conservation experiments.•We analyze 156 published trials and 524,479 study subjects from 1975 to 2012.•On average, individuals in the experiments reduced electricity consumption by 7.4%.•Individualized feedback via audits and consulting results in the largest reductions.Pecuniary feedback and incentives lead to a relative increase in energy usage.