2018 Volume 6 Issue 1 Pages 12-21
This study investigated the effect of feedback of others’ electricity consumption through a field experiment. It is reported that sending an energy report, which includes a comparison of electricity consumption of other and one’s own household, has an effect of about 2% reduction in electricity consumption (Haig, 2014; Allcott & Rogers, 2012). However, psychological processes associated with this change have not yet been revealed. In this study, feedback of others’ electricity consumption was sent to the participants in the “Leading Eco Life Tsurumi” project in Osaka city. The results showed that the difference between feedback group and no-feedback group on electricity consumption was marginally significant. The comparison between feedback groups indicated that whether it includes comparison of self and other households did not have impact on one’s electricity consumption. The regression analysis showed that self-reported energy-saving behavior was a significant determinant of the electricity consumption, which indicated that adopting energy-saving behavior at home can have effects on electricity consumption.
