The question of energy reduction: The problem(s) with feedback

By Kathryn Buchanan, Riccardo Russo, Ben Anderson. 2015

294 citations recorded by the source corpus.

With smart metering initiatives gaining increasing global popularity, the present paper seeks to challenge the increasingly entrenched view that providing householders with feedback about their energy usage, via an in-home-display, will lead them to substantially reduce their energy consumption. Specifically, we draw on existing quantitative and qualitative evidence to outline three key problems with feedback, namely: (a) the limited evidence of efficacy, (b) the need for user engagement, and (c) the potential for unintended consequences. We conclude by noting that, in their current form, existing in-home-displays may not induce the desired energy-reduction response anticipated by smart metering initiatives. Instead, if smart metering is to effectively reduce energy consumption there is a clear need to develop and test innovative new feedback devices that have been designed with user engagement in mind.

Subfields: Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/a7d1d0b99ea0306b7f573e706237896820eec03b

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

1. Steffen Lange
2. Johanna Pohl
3. Tilman Santarius

Citations in the corpus

• Digitalization and energy consumption. Does ICT reduce energy demand? (2020, background): “Smart energy feedback for example has the potential to massively reduce energy demand in the housing sector (Buchanan et al., 2015; Jensen et al., 2016; Malmodin and Coroama, 2016; Nilsson et al., 2018).”