Disaggregate consumption feedback and energy conservation

Abstract

Novel information technologies have the potential to improve decision making. In the context of smart metering, we investigate the impact of providing households with appliance-level electricity feedback. In a randomized controlled trial, we find that the provision of appliance-level feedback creates a conservation effect of an additional 5% relative to a group receiving standard (aggregate) feedback. Consumers with poor knowledge of appliance wattage respond most strongly to appliance-level feedback, consistent with the mechanism in our model. We estimate that a smart-meter rollout will yield much larger gains in consumer surplus if appliance-level feedback can be provided.