Abstract
This study aimed to identify effective presentation methods used for historical self-comparisons of residential water consumption that will lead to the efficient use of water. To compare each household’s current and previous water consumption, illustrations of water droplets were used as feedback every other week for five months, with the number of water droplets indicating an increase or decrease in water consumption. When only using the same blue water droplets, there was no change in water consumption. However, when using yellow and red droplets in cases of increased water use, we observed that water consumption declined. By improving the method of communication, historical self-comparisons of water consumption can realize an efficient use of water at all consumption levels.
Highlights
Information-based residential water demand management programs have been developed to motivate people to use water efficiently
By improving the method of communicating historical self-comparisons of water consumption, we indicate possible ways to realize an efficient use of water at all consumption levels
We have demonstrated the effectiveness of using historical self-comparison in this context, a situation where using social comparison based on personal data regarding water consumption could prove difficult
Summary
Information-based residential water demand management programs have been developed to motivate people to use water efficiently. As information campaigns can be deployed quickly and implemented with relatively low cost, policymakers are apt to use them for water management. Such campaigns can be effective only in places with water shortages [1,2], as the willingness to conserve water only arises in situations of water scarcity [3]. Their effectiveness has been assessed only for short periods [4,5].
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