Norms and electricity consumption
Intervention · Energy Efficiency
Nudging towards reduced electricity usage using social comparison
Intervention Description
An American electrical company attempted to reduce the energy usage of its customers by sending them letters that compared their energy usage to that of their neighbors. This tactic has been used to change behavior in many different situations. One study estimated that this resulted in a 2% decrease in electricity usage. Interestingly, these letters appeared to have the opposite effect on political conservatives.
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