An experimental study on motivational change for electricity conservation by normative messages

• Published in: Applied energy Vol. 158; pp. 35 - 43
• Main Authors: Komatsu, Hidenori, Nishio, Ken-ichiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 15-11-2015
• Subjects: Electricity conservation; Information provision; Social norm; Information provision; Social norm; Electricity conservation
• ISSN: 0306-2619; 1872-9118
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.08.029

•Normative messages can affect motivation for electricity conservation.•Self-recognition improved when comparisons were given, especially for heavy users.•Compliments enhanced the motivational increase in efficient users.•The motivational increase via normative messages was greater in women than in men.•A normative message is effective for those with high agreeableness and extraversion.
Although many attempts to promote energy conservation by information provision implicitly assume that receivers of information make rational decisions based on deliberation, outcomes have been less than expected. To address this problem, use of normative messages to inform customers how other customers are behaving is being investigated as a means of promoting energy conservation behaviors. However, it remains unclear how such interventions increase customers’ motivation to conserve electricity and which attributes of customers are most relevant. In this research, we conducted experiments using randomized controlled trials in Japan to investigate the effects of normative messages on motivational change for electricity conservation. The results show that normative messages significantly improved motivation for electricity conservation more than simple feedback did. We also investigated which types of respondents’ attributes, including personality traits, were most affected by the normative messages provided.