The Missing Link? Insights from an Innovative Feedback Exercise for Household Electricity and Travel Behaviour
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
3. Materials and Methods
3.1. Feedback on Electricity and Travel
3.2. Simultaneous Feedback on Electricity and Travel
3.3. Analysis
- Does the feedback exercise demonstrate or develop a link between travel-related behaviour and electricity behaviour?
- Are the participants interested in receiving feedback on their travel? Why/why not?
4. Results
4.1. Sample and Findings
- No Behavioural Change: The display had no effect on my electricity usage and/or attitude or on any other energy behaviours (two participants);
- Electricity Behavioural Change: The display influenced my electricity attitude and/or usage (13 participants);
- Electricity and Travel Behavioural Change: The display influenced my electricity attitude and/or usage and travel (four participants).
4.2. Question 1: Does the Feedback Exercise Demonstrate or Develop a Link between Travel Related Behaviour and Household Electricity Behaviour?
4.3. Question 2: Are the Participants Interested in Receiving Feedback on Their Travel? Why/Why Not?
4.4. Question 3: Are There Any Exceptions—Do Some See a Link?
5. Discussion
6. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Feedback Type | Definition | Insights | Supporting Literature |
---|---|---|---|
Explanatory | Clear energy bills that translate usage into understandable units | This is used to illustrate how much energy has been used in a way that the user can understand (either in financial, carbon, or other measurements). Explanatory comparison can help the individual understand the implications, decrease energy consumption, and possibly increase level of satisfaction, but this is subject to context | [38,39,40,41] |
Temporal | Temporal feedback is when an individual compares themselves at different points in time | The ability to track one’s progress and impact on behaviour change depends on how the information is displayed, over what time series, and how the participant can interact with the data | [42,43] |
Normative | Comparison to other households or communities | Normative feedback is when one is compared to someone that is similar. Festinger’s theory of social comparison argues that as people strive to evaluate themselves, an individual will compare themselves to those that are similar. The more dissimilar people are, the less likely they are to compare themselves to those individuals [44,45]. Some state that normative feedback is an influential way to change behaviour [46], while others have indicated that its use depends on the context [47] | [48,49] |
Factors | Insights | Supporting Literature |
---|---|---|
Compared to an individual or group | Performance of another similar group may save more energy and have a longer-lasting effect than if feedback is only given to an individual/household, but this depends on context. Comparative feedback could also be ignored if participants feel that their circumstances are particularly unique and therefore not comparable. | [54,55] |
The number of dimensions being compared | As indicated in the literature review, while individual behaviours have been examined thoroughly, multiple dimensions have not been examined and are an area of further research. | [56] |
Anonymity | Having anonymous information about energy consumption may motivate individuals, but this also depends on importance of the norms being examined—those that see social norms as important are more likely to change than those that do not. | [57] |
Part | Exercise | Questions |
---|---|---|
1 | Feedback on electricity, travel, and both simultaneously provided through graphs/tables | How do participants react to feedback on
|
2 | Value of feedback through a semi-structured interview |
|
Electricity | (kWh/Year) | kg CO2/Year |
---|---|---|
6 March 2011 to 6 March 2012 | 5,973 | 3,133 |
Best Comparison House | 4,399 | 2,308 |
Average of all owner-occupied houses | 3,638 | 1,908 |
Travel | kg CO2/Year |
---|---|
Your Total | 2,648 |
UK average | 1,900 |
South East England | 2,400 |
Sample | Oxford | Source | |
---|---|---|---|
Male-Female | 32-68% | 50-50% | [76] |
Over 40 years of age | 89% | 35% | [76] |
Car ownership 0, 1, 2, 3, or more | 0 cars = 15.8%; 1 car = 52.6%; 2 cars = 31.6%, 3 or more cars = 0% | 0 cars = 33.5%; 1 car = 45.6%; 2 cars = 16.6%, 3 or more cars = 4.3% | [77] |
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Al-Chalabi, M.; Banister, D. The Missing Link? Insights from an Innovative Feedback Exercise for Household Electricity and Travel Behaviour. Sustainability 2022, 14, 9115. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159115
Al-Chalabi M, Banister D. The Missing Link? Insights from an Innovative Feedback Exercise for Household Electricity and Travel Behaviour. Sustainability. 2022; 14(15):9115. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159115
Chicago/Turabian StyleAl-Chalabi, Malek, and David Banister. 2022. "The Missing Link? Insights from an Innovative Feedback Exercise for Household Electricity and Travel Behaviour" Sustainability 14, no. 15: 9115. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159115