Electricity saving behavior in student dorms: What message framing works?

Abstract

Electricity consumption contributes largely to climate change. Inefficiently overused amounts of electricity can be reduced through low-cost feedback and nudges. We chose to frame different messages to alter the electricity usage behavior of students while residing in their dorm rooms at the Prince of Songkla University during the second semester of 2016. The messages used are descriptive and injunctive social norms information.The two-way fixed effects regression analysis indicates that reporting the dorm room's electricity usage and peer-comparison jointly with signs of social approval (injunctive social norms via emoticons) can effectively save electricity by 3.63%, with statistical significance at 0.1 level. We confirm that the “boomerang effect” occurs when reporting peer-comparison without injunctive social norms. No evidence proposes that students feel socially responsible for their electricity-induced CO2 emissions. Also, small-group peer-comparison cannot influence electricity conservation.Our results benefit universities in Thailand and our low-cost method is applicable to other tertiary education institutions in Southeast Asian economies that share similar social norms, especially on perceived wealth and the low interest in sustainability.