The effect of feedback by SMS-text messages and email on household electricity consumption: Experimental evidence

Maria Gleerup; Anders Larsen; Søren Leth-Petersen; Mikael Togeby

The effect of feedback by SMS-text messages and email on household electricity consumption: Experimental evidence

Maria Gleerup, Anders Larsen, Søren Leth-Petersen, Mikael Togeby

Department of Economics

Abstract

This paper analyzes the effect of supplying feedback by text messages (SMS) and email about electricity consumption on the level of total household electricity consumption. An experiment was conducted in which 1,452 households were randomly allocated to three experimental groups and two control groups. Feedback was supplied throughout 2007 to members of the experiment groups who accepted the invitation, and data on consumption of electricity for 2006 and 2007 collected for all participants and control group members. 30% of the households invited to receive feedback accepted the invitation. Results suggest that email and SMS messaging that communicated timely information about a household's 'exceptional' consumption periods (e.g. highest week of electricity use in past quarter) produced average reductions in total annual electricity use of about 3%. The feedback technology is cheap to implement and therefore likely to be cost-effective.

Original language	English
Journal	Energy Journal
Volume	31
Issue number	3
Pages (from-to)	113-132
Number of pages	20
ISSN	0195-6574
Publication status	Published - 2010

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Gleerup, M., Larsen, A., Leth-Petersen, S., & Togeby, M. (2010). The effect of feedback by SMS-text messages and email on household electricity consumption: Experimental evidence. Energy Journal, 31(3), 113-132. http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/viewarticle?data=dGJyMPPp44rp2%2fdV0%2bnjisfk5Ie46bdOrq2zSK6k63nn5Kx95uXxjL6vrU6tqK5JrpavSbiptFKwq55Zy5zyit%2fk8Xnh6ueH7N%2fiVaunsEivqa5LsayxPurX7H%2b72%2bw%2b4ti7evLepIzf3btZzJzfhrurr1G3rrZLr5zkh%2fDj34y73POE6urjkPIA&hid=106

Gleerup, M, Larsen, A, Leth-Petersen, S & Togeby, M 2010, 'The effect of feedback by SMS-text messages and email on household electricity consumption: Experimental evidence', Energy Journal, vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 113-132. <http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/viewarticle?data=dGJyMPPp44rp2%2fdV0%2bnjisfk5Ie46bdOrq2zSK6k63nn5Kx95uXxjL6vrU6tqK5JrpavSbiptFKwq55Zy5zyit%2fk8Xnh6ueH7N%2fiVaunsEivqa5LsayxPurX7H%2b72%2bw%2b4ti7evLepIzf3btZzJzfhrurr1G3rrZLr5zkh%2fDj34y73POE6urjkPIA&hid=106>

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title = "The effect of feedback by SMS-text messages and email on household electricity consumption: Experimental evidence",

abstract = "This paper analyzes the effect of supplying feedback by text messages (SMS) and email about electricity consumption on the level of total household electricity consumption. An experiment was conducted in which 1,452 households were randomly allocated to three experimental groups and two control groups. Feedback was supplied throughout 2007 to members of the experiment groups who accepted the invitation, and data on consumption of electricity for 2006 and 2007 collected for all participants and control group members. 30% of the households invited to receive feedback accepted the invitation. Results suggest that email and SMS messaging that communicated timely information about a household's 'exceptional' consumption periods (e.g. highest week of electricity use in past quarter) produced average reductions in total annual electricity use of about 3%. The feedback technology is cheap to implement and therefore likely to be cost-effective.",

author = "Maria Gleerup and Anders Larsen and S{\o}ren Leth-Petersen and Mikael Togeby",

year = "2010",

language = "English",

volume = "31",

pages = "113--132",

journal = "Energy Journal",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - The effect of feedback by SMS-text messages and email on household electricity consumption

T2 - Experimental evidence

AU - Gleerup, Maria

AU - Larsen, Anders

AU - Leth-Petersen, Søren

AU - Togeby, Mikael

PY - 2010

Y1 - 2010

N2 - This paper analyzes the effect of supplying feedback by text messages (SMS) and email about electricity consumption on the level of total household electricity consumption. An experiment was conducted in which 1,452 households were randomly allocated to three experimental groups and two control groups. Feedback was supplied throughout 2007 to members of the experiment groups who accepted the invitation, and data on consumption of electricity for 2006 and 2007 collected for all participants and control group members. 30% of the households invited to receive feedback accepted the invitation. Results suggest that email and SMS messaging that communicated timely information about a household's 'exceptional' consumption periods (e.g. highest week of electricity use in past quarter) produced average reductions in total annual electricity use of about 3%. The feedback technology is cheap to implement and therefore likely to be cost-effective.

AB - This paper analyzes the effect of supplying feedback by text messages (SMS) and email about electricity consumption on the level of total household electricity consumption. An experiment was conducted in which 1,452 households were randomly allocated to three experimental groups and two control groups. Feedback was supplied throughout 2007 to members of the experiment groups who accepted the invitation, and data on consumption of electricity for 2006 and 2007 collected for all participants and control group members. 30% of the households invited to receive feedback accepted the invitation. Results suggest that email and SMS messaging that communicated timely information about a household's 'exceptional' consumption periods (e.g. highest week of electricity use in past quarter) produced average reductions in total annual electricity use of about 3%. The feedback technology is cheap to implement and therefore likely to be cost-effective.

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0195-6574

VL - 31

SP - 113

EP - 132

JO - Energy Journal

JF - Energy Journal

IS - 3

ER -

The effect of feedback by SMS-text messages and email on household electricity consumption: Experimental evidence

Abstract

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