More than auditing: Behavior change and

lasting impacts

Jeff SteubenAlliance to Save Energy staff

jsteuben@ase.org

Session Overview

• Welcome & Introductions

• Brief overview of community-based social

marketing

• Strategies & case studies from UCSD’s

energy assessments

• Q&A

• Recap, lessons learned

A brief overview of CBSM

Community Based Social Marketing (CBSM) www.cbsm.com

Tools of Behavior Change:

Commitment

Prompts

Norms

Incentives

Combine multiple behavior change tools for success!

Behavior change tool #1

Obtain Commitment

Seek commitment to an initial small request

Chose written commitment over verbal

commitment

Ask for public commitments

Seek commitments from groups

Behavior change tool #2

Use Prompts

Help them remember to do the right thing!

Make the prompt noticeable

Make the prompt self-explanatory

Proper positioning of prompt is critical

Prompts should encourage positive

behavior rather than avoid harmful actions

Example: Switch Plate Stickers

Behavior change tool #3

Norms

If we observe members of our community

acting sustainably, we are more likely to

do the same!

Make the norm noticeable

Use personal contacts to

reinforce norms

Use norms to encourage people to

engage in positive behaviors rather

than avoid harmful actions

Behavior change tool #4

Incentives

Pair incentive with the behavior

Reward positive behavior

Make the incentive visible

Consider ‘soft’ incentives –

social approval

Example: Hold awards dinner for

top savers (and publicize)

Re

cap

Four behavior change tools

1. Commitments

2. Prompts

3. Norms

4. Incentives

Use to create effective behavior change in your

energy audit campaigns

UC San Diego’s Energy Assessment Follow-Up Practices

Amina Ahmad & Jennifer HullUCSD Green Campus Interns

akahmad@ucsd.edu jrhull@ucsd.edu

UCSD Green Campus Team

List of Completed and Ongoing Assessments

Human Resource Office EA (July 2009)

Sixth College Administration GC² Assessment (August 2009)

Geisel Science and Engineering Library EA (October 2009)

Engineering Building-1 EA Follow-up (November 2009)

Muir College EA Follow-up (January 2010)

Basic Energy Assessment Process

1) Consultation Meeting

2) Behavioral Survey

3) Walk-through

4) Report

5) Presentation

6) Follow-Up Assessment

• kWh – kilowatt hour

• Plug Load – energy usage while appliance is on

• Phantom Load – energy usage while appliance is off

• Foot Candle – one lumen per square foot

• GPM – gallons per minute

• GPF – gallons per flush

Some Terms We Use

• Green Building Certification (LEED)

• Other areas of sustainability

• Regional Credits

• Purchasing

• Importance of water conservation

• Level 2 Drought Alert in California

• Campus Sustainability Plan

• Zero Waste

Expansion of Our Assessment Process

• Previously:

• Main focus on energy including:

• Phantom Loads

• Efficient lighting

• Powersave feature

• EnergyStar appliances

• Other areas:

• Recycling

How the Energy Assessment Process Has Evolved

• Current Process – additionally includes:

• Other areas:

• Water

• Purchasing

• Waste

• Behavior and Education

• Transportation

• Food

• Following expansion

• Increased time commitment

• Intern Response

• Developed excel sheet

• Programmed to make calculations

• Time efficient & user-friendly mean of making calculations

Response to Assessment Development

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Walk Through Pictures

The Original Energy Assessment Survey

Used to primarily understand behavior

Areas covered –energy, lighting, thermal comfort, waste, purchasing, food, transportation, etc.

Created using

“Google Spreadsheets”

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Why We Started Follow-Ups?

Expanded metric tracking

We can compare original with follow-up findings

To see how effective our reports & presentations are

Influence behavioral changes

Follow-up: Energy Assessment Survey

Behavior-related

Focus survey on improvement

Consider findings from original report

Currently include questions used for original energy assessments

Follow-up: Energy Assessment Survey Example

• All magnetic ballasts were changed to electronic

• Fridge was changed to a more efficient model

Follow-up: Findings of the Engineering-1 Bldg

• Lights were reduced to half lighting / signage

• About 50% of paper products were made up of 30% recycled material

Follow-up: Findings of Muir College

Include suggestions based on the follow up behavioral survey

The other areas of sustainability

Write out potential savings

Re-include changes that haven’t been made in the follow up report

Follow-up: Suggestions to Occupants

greencampus.ucsd.edu

Carefully consider original report

Talk to previous contacts involved with the original energy assessment

Follow-up: Improvements in Our Process

Clearly explain findings

Include pictures of the building

Praise ongoing efforts

Suggest changes that are easy to understand

Show potential savings for specific savings (money, kWh, and lbs. CO2)

Follow-up: Effective Presentations

Thank You…

Fellow UC San Diego Green Campus interns

Michelle Perez, UCSD Operational Sustainability Analyst

Dave Weil, UCSD Director of Building Commissioning and Sustainability

Jeff Steuben, Program Associate, Alliance to Save Energy

Renee LaFrenz, Green Campus Program Manager, Alliance to Save Energy

The Green Campus Program at UC San Diego

Website: greencampus.ucsd.edu

Email: ucsdgreencampus@gmail.com

Presenters:

Amina Ahmad – akahmad@ucsd.edu

Jennifer Hull – jrhull@ucsd.edu