Behavioral economics and energy conservation - a systematic review of nonprice interventions and their causal effects
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Date
2017
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Abstract
Research from economics and psychology suggests that behavioral
interventions can be a powerful climate policy instrument. This paper
provides a systematic review of the existing empirical evidence on non-price
interventions targeting energy conservation behavior of private households.
Specifically, we analyze the four nudge-like interventions referred to as social
comparison, pre-commitment, goal setting and labeling in 38 international
studies comprising 91 treatments. This paper differs from previous systematic
reviews by solely focusing on studies that permit the identification of causal
effects. We find that all four interventions have the potential to significantly
reduce energy consumption of private households, yet effect sizes vary
immensely. We conclude by emphasizing the importance of impact
evaluations before rolling out behavioral policy interventions at scale.
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Keywords
systematic review, social norms, environmental certification, energy efficiency, energy demand, behavioral economics