TY  - JOUR
AU  - Ayres,Ian
AU  - Raseman,Sophie
AU  - Shih,Alice
TI  - Evidence from Two Large Field Experiments that Peer Comparison Feedback Can Reduce Residential Energy Usage
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 15386
PY  - 2009
Y2  - September 2009
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w15386
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w15386.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Ian Ayres
Yale Law School
P.O. Box 208415
New Haven, CT  06520-8415
Tel: 203/432-7101
Fax: 203/432-8095
E-Mail: ian.ayres@yale.edu

Sophie Raseman
Yale Law School
127 Wall Street
New Haven, CT  06511
E-Mail: sophie.raseman@aya.yale.edu

Alice Shih
Yale Law School
127 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511
E-Mail: alice.shih@yale.edu
M2  - featured in NBER digest on 2010-02-01
AB  - By providing feedback to customers on home electricity and natural gas usage with a focus on peer comparisons, utilities can reduce energy consumption at a low cost. We analyze data from two large-scale, random-assignment field experiments conducted by utility companies providing electricity (the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD)) and electricity and natural gas (Puget Sound Energy (PSE)), in partnership with a private company, Positive Energy/oPower, which provides monthly or quarterly mailed peer feedback reports to customers. We find reductions in energy consumption of 1.2% (PSE) to 2.1% percent (SMUD), with the decrease sustained over time (seven months (PSE) and twelve months (SMUD)).
ER  -