Do Smart Electricity Meters 'Turn On' Conservation? • Earth.com

Do Smart Electricity Meters 'Turn On' Conservation?

09-01-2016

Do Smart Electricity Meters ‘Turn On’ Conservation? Scientists test different conservation messages to find out which have the most impact on energy consumption

With smart electricity meters, consumers can measure electricity usage in real time, even find out how they stack up against their neighbors. But, does having that information impact consumers’ electricity usage?

With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF), environmental economist Magali Delmas and colleagues at the University of California, Los Angeles, decided to find out with a unique behavioral science experiment called ENGAGE. They want to better understand both how people respond to information about the environment and change their behavior in response to that information.

The researchers wired 120 apartments with smart electricity meters and then tracked residents’ responses to detailed feedback about energy consumption habits. The research team found that non-monetary messages that framed electricity consumption in terms of environmental and health impacts were more effective at reducing energy use than monetary messages that framed electricity consumption in terms of cost savings.

Energy Saving Trust is currently involved in three projects that are exploring some of the future uses of smart meter data. In Scotland, the Smart Meter Advice Portal will use smart meter data to provide a more personalised energy saving service to Home Energy Scotland customers.

National Science Foundation

News coming your way
The biggest news about our planet delivered to you each day