Abstract
Reducing the use of energy is important for several reasons, such as saving money and reducing impact on the climate. However, the awareness among non-experts of how much energy is required by different activities and appliances is generally low, which can lead to wrong prioritizations. In this study, we have developed an interactive tool to increase “energy awareness”, and performed a longitudinal study to evaluate its effect. A group of 58 students first did a test to benchmark their current energy awareness, where their current knowledge of energy used for 14 different activities, such as driving vehicles and using home appliances, was measured. They then tried the interactive learning tool for 10 min. Next, they did the same test immediately after trying the tool, then again one week after trying the tool, and finally again six months after trying the tool. The results showed a significant learning effect in energy awareness with a “huge” effect size of 2.25 immediately after the intervention, a “very large” effect size of 1.70 after one week, and a “large” effect size of 0.93 after six months. The results further showed that the respondents consistently underestimated what 100 kWh could be used for, and especially so for appliances and activities requiring little energy. Before the intervention, on average they underestimated how much 100 kWh could be used for by 95.2%, and six months after the intervention the underestimation was 86.8%.
Highlights
Energy use is an important topic for sustainability and climate change
While energy efficiencies can be created by optimization and dematerialization, promoting conservation behavior remains an important part of saving energy and avoiding rebound effects [1]
A paired-samples t-test on the average score of each individual showed that scores were significantly better for test T1 immediately after trying the prototype (M = 0.419, SD = 0.416) than for the baseline test T0 before trying the prototype (M = 1.476, SD = 0.493), t(43) = 11.277, p < 0.001, Cohen’s d = 2.248 which corresponds to a “huge” effect size [16]
Summary
Energy use is an important topic for sustainability and climate change. While energy efficiencies can be created by optimization and dematerialization, promoting conservation behavior remains an important part of saving energy and avoiding rebound effects [1]. There has been much research during the last decade on using persuasive technologies and eco-visualizations to promote energy conservation. Energy conservation is a dominant topic in using persuasive technologies for sustainability and sustainable HCI (Human Computer Interaction) research [2]. Technologies such as smart meters allow users to measure and provide accurate feedback on energy consumption at both household level and appliance level. Many of the smart meter technologies, visualizations and applications created in this research area used quantitative data of energy using watt hour (Wh) or kilowatt hour (kWh) as the main unit [3,4,5,6,7,8]
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