Homes with price rises slowly used less power, but weren't compared with others
Who it’s about: Adults
- No comparison
Homes with price rises, especially with a live screen, slowly used less power, but this wasn't compared with other homes.
Randomised trial of 437 households in Connecticut, USA · no comparison group · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ not yet checked by other scientists; summary claims more than the results show; many people dropped out; habit trend not compared with control
The study
Who took part
437 homes in Connecticut, USA, that signed up and had fast internet. They were richer than most. 207 were in the comparison group, 130 got price rises only and 100 got price rises plus a home screen.
What they did
Two groups faced six price rises of 2 to 4 hours in July and August 2011. They were told a day or 30 minutes ahead by email, text or phone. One of them also got a free screen at home that showed their power use and prices live. The comparison group got only a leaflet on saving power and no price changes.
What happened
On ordinary weekdays, both price groups slowly used less power in the afternoon and evening over the summer. The drop was steeper with the screen. But the paper never showed the comparison group's trend or tested the groups against each other. Many screen homes dropped out, and the paper was not checked by other scientists.
Source
Knowledge is (Less) Power: Experimental Evidence from Residential Energy Use (2012)
DOI: 10.3386/w18344 (opens in a new tab)
