Howard E. Woodin ES Colloquium Series

Getting Energy Use Down to a (Social) Science: Advancing Energy Efficiency through Research-Based Behavioral Techniques
Kira Ashby, Senior Program Manager, Behavior, Consortium for Energy Efficiency

Human behavior plays a key role in whether energy efficient equipment is installed and how much energy is used in a given home or office. Yet, for many reasons, people often don’t make the most energy efficient choices. Other fields such as public health face similar challenges, and it turns out that some of the same techniques that can help someone quit smoking or lose weight can also encourage them to use energy more efficiently. This presentation will provide an overview of some of the behavior-based projects that energy efficiency program administrators have undertaken through the Consortium for Energy Efficiency. The talk will also touch on some social science techniques that are particularly applicable to energy usage behaviors and will describe some of the unique challenges and opportunities of motivating behavior change in the energy efficiency arena.