Energy feedback devices and their messaging capabilities can lower your monthly energy bills and help consumers save some extra money. Energy feedback messaging is an emerging socio-technical innovation that can help consumers save 5–20% on their monthly energy bills. These messages that stem from energy feedback devices can help consumers improve their homes energy efficiency. However, the effectiveness of energy feedback messages are lacking because there is no definite structure for delivering energy feedback. There is an opportunity to optimize the impact message design has on the delivery energy feedback messages, which builds upon prior literature on energy feedback messages (Barreto et al. 2013; Delmas et al. 2013;Hargreaves et al. 2013; Ehrhardt-Martinez et al. 2010). The motivation of this research study is to improve consumers energy consumption by personalizing energy feedback messages that highlight concepts people care about (e.g. comfortability, loss of income, preserving the environment). To measure the cognitive response to energy feedback messages, an fNIRS study was conducted with 30 participants to measure their cognitive response to viewing energy feedback messages. Cognitive response shows that people are thinking about the content that is being presented to them. Also, we introduce a novel multidisciplinary approach to improve the effectiveness of current energy feedback message design by investigating cognitive response.
The framework we develop for this research study will build upon prior studies on energy feedback messages and use concepts from civil engineering, psychology, and sociology. In this framework, we combine existing message design theories (e.g. choice architecture, message types, colour, text type and size), prior literature on each of these messages, and a fNIRS instrument to gain a more accurate representation of which messages trigger the most cognitive response. My framework will uniquely utilize ideas and concepts from multiple disciplines (e.g.engineering, sociology, psychology, public works) to solve complex problems. This framework can help energy feedback devices excel regarding energy and monetary savings. Ultimately,this framework can use energy feedback messages to improve consumers energy behaviours and reduce their carbon footprint.Download source
Sectors: Cross cutting, Equipment and appliances, Power sector
Country / Region: GlobalTags: assessment of the status quo, carbon, carbon footprint, energy, energy efficiency, innovation, sustainable livelihoods approaches
Knowledge Object: Publication / Report
Publishing year: 2020
Author: Wendell Grinton, Frederick Paige