phoenix convention center phoenix, arizona behavioral change to support effective energy management...

Phoenix Convention Center • Phoenix, Arizona

Behavioral Change to SupportEffective Energy Management

Institutional Change INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE FOR SUSTAINABILITY

Irina Feygina, PhDWhite House Social and Behavioral Sciences Team

August 11, 2015

Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade2

• Behavior is key to energy management success

• Energy efficiency in buildings– Anticipated vs actual performance– User experience

• Solar power competitiveness– Technology vs soft costs– Policy, implementation, information

• Innovative technologies– The valley of death– Market adoption processes

Why Behavioral Change?


• Individuals– Usability, design

• Teams and groups– Communication– Structure and roles

• Organizations and institutions– Markets– Leadership– Vision and goals

Where Does Behavior Change Matter?


• Identifying where behavior makes a difference– Measuring and understanding behavior

• Aligning behavior with effective energy practice

• Tracking behavior over time– Integrated into ongoing monitoring and assessment

• Aligning design and planning with users needs– Buildings, transportation, procurement

• Improving communication, information flow– Users and managers; leadership

Harnessing the Power of Behavior


People and Change

• Why do people resist change?• How can we facilitate change?• The important role of human needs

Energy Exchange: Federal Sustainability for the Next Decade

How are people affected by change?

– Personal• E.g. Challenge of life transitions

– Community and group• E.g. Organizational change

– Systemic, institutional, ideological• E.g. Soviet Union collapse

– E.g. Climate change• Personal, collective, and systemic aspects of our lives• The role of stability; diverse reactions to change


Resistance to Change

– Behavioral• Habitual and ingrained behaviors• Patterns and expectations• Fluency and flow



– Behavioral– Cognitive

• What is the most limited human resource?• Attention!• Heuristics• Status quo bias• Dissonance



– Behavioral– Cognitive – Motivational

• Personal, group, and systemic needs • Protection from threat• Ideological: just world, meritocracy



– Behavioral– Cognitive – Motivational– Individual difference

• Need for certainty• Need for control


Desire and Support for Change

– Growth and development

– Values and norms• Progress• Identity

– Individual difference• Need for openness and experience

– Goal setting and pursuit• Management of goal conflict

– System change


Behavioral Change

• Information– Knowledge and understanding are important– Lack of knowledge about energy use is problematic

• Advanced Metering• Energy use feedback: Immediate and noticeable• Food waste measurement

– But often information is not enough to bring about behavior change


Behavioral Change

• Information• Attitudes and values

– Important, but don’t always lead to behaviors– Barriers prevent implementation– Behavioral intentions


Behavioral Change

• Information• Attitudes and values • Needs and motives

– Work with underlying needs and priorities, not against– What is the most powerful human motive?


Behavioral Change

• Information• Attitudes and values • Needs and motives • Social norms, identities, institutions

– The need to belong is paramount, harness it!– Leadership and institutional level norms


Behavioral Change

• Information• Attitudes and values • Needs and motives• Social norms, identities, institutions • Morals


Behavioral Change

• Information• Attitudes and values • Needs and motives• Social norms, identities, institutions • Morals• Narratives and stories

– Psychological proximity• Personal accounts• Films


Behavioral Change

• Information• Attitudes and values • Needs and motives• Social norms, identities, institutions • Morals• Narratives and stories• Role of context

– Decision making is not a rational process– Cognitive biases and heuristics– Peripheral, contextual factors– Presentation and framing of choices


Behavioral Insights: EAST

• Easy: Make it easy for people to achieve their goals

– The power of defaults– Simplify the process– Make it convenient



• Easy: Make it easy for people to achieve their goals• Attractive: Draw people’s attention to your messages

– Novel; Surprising– Salient; Noticeable– Relevant; Interesting– Visually appealing



• Easy: Make it easy for people to achieve their goals• Attractive: Draw people’s attention to your messages• Social: Motivate people through others’ behaviors

– Social norms– Reciprocity– Cooperation – Reputation



• Easy: Make it easy for people to achieve their goals• Attractive: Draw people’s attention to your messages• Social: Motivate people through others’ behaviors• Timely: Make things timely and relevant at key

decision points– Provide information when needed– Target points of action


In Sum

• Identify where behavior change is needed for successful energy management– Measurement and tracking, feedback

• Understand reasons for behavior, barriers to change

• To support behavioral change, focus on:– Needs, motives, and goals

– Social norms and identities

– Systems and institutional processes

– Behavioral context (easy, attractive, timely)

• Pilot test your interventions, assess, update


Example: Energy Efficiency in Buildings

• DOE Energy Efficiency Building Hub

• Lighting and HVAC retrofits – Commercial buildings

• Integrating consideration of building occupants

• Key questions:– How are occupants responding?

– What do they want and need?

– Is the new environment satisfactory?

– Are people undermining the energy efficiency of the building?


Building Occupant Experience

• Service reduction experiments – Load sheds in preparation for utility demand-response

• Design– Baseline and follow-up surveys; daily surveys– 6 load shed interventions (75.4F to 78F)

• Outcomes– Satisfaction with building environment– Satisfaction with ability to adjust/control environment– Mental and physical health– Productivity and satisfaction with work


Satisfaction with Environment

Air Temperature Light Privacy Environment (overall)

Job0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Satisfaction: 1 = Very Dissatisfied to 7 = Very Satisfied


Ability to Control Environment

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7Is It Easy to Adjust?

Ave

rage

Agr

eem

ent



1 = Very Strongly Disagree

2 3 4 5 6 7 = Very Strongly Agree

0%

4%

8%

12%

16%

20%

It is easy to figure out how the HVAC systems work in order to adjust them.

Perc

ent o

f Par

ticip

ants



• Undermining energy efficiency of building– Heaters (sometimes two)– Blocking vents

• Despite enforced ban on personal appliances


Significant increases in:

• Satisfaction with environmental conditions– Temperature

• Satisfaction with ability to adjust environment– Adjust temperature

• Mental and physical health– Feel more pleasant– Report less fatigue– Experience greater mental health

• Work satisfaction– Higher work quality– Greater productivity

Effects of Service Reduction



• At baseline, we asked participants to compare actual temperature to their desired temperature


Plots of differences in

respondents’ perceptions of

typical and ideal workspace

temperature conditions




Baseline Control Days Service Reduction

Days

Follow-Up0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Too Cold (N = 15)Just Right (N = 12)Too Hot (N = 11)

Satis

facti

on w

ith T

empe

ratu

re

Cold people became more satisfied during service reduction; others stayed unchanged.


Lessons Learned

• Post-occupancy evaluations are imperative

• People’s experiences matter for energy efficiency– Integrate into design and planning– Develop best practices for industry

• Better understanding of user experience can lead to savings and effectiveness of retrofits

• The role of control over one’s environment

• Connection between users and building managers


• How to get people to reuse towels in a hotel?

• Signs typically focus on environmental benefit:

HELP SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT. You can show your respect for nature and help save the environment by reusing your towels during your stay.

Example: Reducing Energy and Water Use

Goldstein, N. J., Cialdini, R. B., and Griskevicius, V. (2008). A Room with a Viewpoint: Using Social Norms to Motivate Environmental Conservation in Hotels. Journal of Consumer Research, 35, 472-482.


• People align behavior to social norms– Descriptive norms suggest effective, adaptive, and

appropriate behavior in specific situations:

JOIN YOUR FELLOW GUESTS IN HELPING TO SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT. Almost 75% of guests who are asked to participate in our new resource savings program do help by using their towels more than once. You can join your fellow guests in this program to help save the environment by reusing your towels during your stay.

– Resulted in significantly greater reuse of towels• Standard message: 35.1% vs. Descriptive norm: 44.1%

Social Norms


• Provincial norms – Local setting and circumstances– Should be more influential than global norms

JOIN YOUR FELLOW GUESTS IN HELPING TO SAVE THE ENVIRONMENT. In a study conducted in Fall 2003, 75% of the guests who stayed in this room (#313) participated in our new resource savings program by using their towels more than once. You can join your fellow guests in this program to help save the environment by reusing your towels during your stay.

– Resulted in greatest reuse of towels• Standard message: 35.1% vs. Provincial norm: 49.3%

Social Norms


• Opower reports:– Compare energy usage to neighbors with similarly

sized houses

– Targeted tips to motivate lower energy consumption in line with the "normal" neighborhood rate

– Smiley-face emoticons for energy-efficient homes• Prevent most efficient consumers from increasing energy

use once know the norm

– Deliver 2.1 to 3.5% reductions in energy use

Social Norms: Application


• Hotel practices– Many don’t switch despite evidence– Need explicit organization support

• Hotel staff wash hanging towels– Fear of dissatisfaction– Lack of understanding

– Change default institutional practice• Washing towels every three days; Linens weekly• Develop a new status-quo• Opt out rather than opt in

Social Norms: Application


• Juneau, Alaska

• Hydroelectric power

• Line from Snettisham reservoir cut off by avalanche

• 10% energy use reductions in anticipation of higher prices

• Needed much higher savings

Integrated Strategy

Meier, A. (2010). A 30% Reduction in Electricity Use Is Not Only Possible but Actually Occurred in Juneau, Alaska. People-Centered Initiatives for Increasing Energy Savings, ACEEE.


• Community Engagement:• Institutions, leadership, norms, identity

– Juneau Economic Development Council (JEDC)

– City leaders: Merchants, heads of nonprofits, church elders, politicians, school representatives

– Elected officials and politicians

– Stores placed logo in windows

– Businesses participate in energy reductions

– Changes to city infrastructure

Integrated Strategy



• Community Engagement:• Information

– Information about effective energy reduction strategies and actions; Safety

– Single message and unified voice

– Positive and upbeat message

– Humorous story-telling

– Radio, word of mouth, and newspapers

– Feedback from utilities

Integrated Strategy



• Results– 30% reduction in

energy use

• Longer-term impacts– 10% reduction in

energy use for remainder of year

Integrated Strategy



• Important part of energy management

• Behavior change to increase energy savings

• Understand and work with the user – Personal experiences and needs – Social realities

Conclusion: Behavior


• Interconnection between individual and institutional processes– Institutional context shapes behavior– Behavior needs to align with institutional success

• Effective change requires working at individual and organizational levels– Institutional change efforts depend on understanding and

incorporating user needs– Behavioral change most likely in time of transition and

organizational change

Conclusion: Individuals and Institutions


• Learning about user experience is essential – Post-occupancy and during design

• Pilot testing intervention prior to adoption

• Ongoing evaluation and monitoring

• Evidence of successes and shortcomings– Inform future planning efforts

• Many established tools and methodologies available

Conclusion: Data and Empirical Evidence


Than

k Yo

u!


Effects of Load Shedding

• Satisfaction with Environmental Conditions

Paired Samples Test: Control Days minus Shed Days

Paired Differences

Mean Difference Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean t df Sig. (2-tailed)

Air Quality 2.36649 15.32882 2.84649 .831 28 .413

Temperature -8.08440 22.36402 4.15289 -1.947 28 .062

Noise -2.40174 11.19070 2.07806 -1.156 28 .258

Light 1.89238 12.46331 2.31438 .818 28 .420

Scale from 0 = Very Dissatisfied to 100 = Very Satisfied



• Satisfaction with Ability to Adjust Environment


Paired Differences

Mean Difference Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean t df Sig. (2-tailed)

Adjust Light .01944 11.19626 2.07909 .009 28 .993

Adjust Air 2.12152 13.90149 2.67534 .793 26 .435

Adjust Temperature -10.98104 18.75501 3.54436 -3.098 27 .005

Scale from 0 = Very Dissatisfied to 100 = Very Satisfied


• Mental and Physical Health


Mean

DifferenceStd. Deviation Std. Error Mean

t df Sig. (2-tailed)

Feel Pleasant -3.53040 7.00178 1.27835 -2.762 29 .010

Feel Alert -3.00590 11.34526 2.07135 -1.451 29 .157

Physical Health -1.98072 10.63891 1.94239 -1.020 29 .316

Mental Health -4.63016 11.73607 2.17933 -2.125 28 .043

Ability to Concentrate -3.54289 19.87472 3.75597 -.943 27 .354

Stress 2.21780 23.55557 4.37416 .507 28 .616

Fatigue -8.36795 20.56702 3.81920 -2.191 28 .037

Scale from 0 = Poor Feelings/Ability/Health to 100 = Great Feelings/Ability/Health




• Productivity and Satisfaction with Work


Paired Differences

Mean Difference Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean

t df Sig. (2-tailed)

Work Quality -4.55897 8.78635 1.66046 -2.746 27 .011

Productivity -7.12292 10.01136 1.85906 -3.831 28 .001

Job Satisfaction -2.93786 12.76857 2.37106 -1.239 28 .226

Scale from 0 = Very Low/Dissatisfied to 100 = Very High/Satisfied

phoenix convention center phoenix, arizona behavioral change to support effective energy management...

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