Assessing Eco-Feedback Interface Usage and Design to Drive Energy Efficiency in Buildings

In response to growing concerns over climate change and rising energy costs, a number of eco-feedback systems are being tested by researchers. Yet, the interface design aspect of these systems has largely been ignored. Therefore, the role that interface design plays at the component level in driving actual energy savings from users is unclear. In this paper, we evaluate the impact interface design has on eco-feedback performance by investigating five established design components. We conducted a six week empirical study with 43 participants using a prototype eco-feedback interface. Analysis of usage data affirmed a statistically significant inverse correlation between user engagement (measured as logins) and energy consumption. Utilizing this relationship as a basis for performance, we expanded our analysis to evaluate the five design components. The study revealed statistically significant evidence corroborating that historical comparison and incentives are design components that drive higher engagement and thus reductions in energy consumption. Results for the normative comparison and disaggregation components were inconclusive, while results for the rewards and penalization component suggest that a revision to the penalization aspect of the component may be necessary. This study raises pertinent questions regarding the efficacy of various eco-feedback components in eliciting energy savings.

[1]  Paul A. Cairns,et al.  Wattsup?: motivating reductions in domestic energy consumption using social networks , 2010, NordiCHI.

[2]  C. Vlek,et al.  The effect of tailored information, goal setting, and tailored feedback on household energy use, energy-related behaviors, and behavioral antecedents. , 2007 .

[3]  F. Siero,et al.  Changing organizational energy consumption behaviour through comparative feedback , 1996 .

[4]  Vladislav Kantchev Shunturov,et al.  Dormitory residents reduce electricity consumption when exposed to real‐time visual feedback and incentives , 2007 .

[5]  I. Simonson,et al.  Earning the Right to Indulge: Effort as a Determinant of Customer Preferences toward Frequency Program Rewards , 2002 .

[6]  A. Bauman,et al.  Engagement and retention of participants in a physical activity website. , 2005, Preventive medicine.

[7]  Noah J. Goldstein,et al.  The Constructive, Destructive, and Reconstructive Power of Social Norms , 2007, Psychological science.

[8]  Dane Petersen,et al.  WattBot: a residential electricity monitoring and feedback system , 2009, CHI Extended Abstracts.

[9]  Jaideep Srivastava,et al.  Web Mining — Concepts, Applications, and Research Directions , 2004 .

[10]  Lt Lorna McCalley,et al.  Energy conservation through product-integrated feedback: The roles of goal-setting and social orientation , 2002 .

[11]  L. J. Becker.  Joint effect of feedback and goal setting on performance: a field study of residential energy conservation , 1978 .

[12]  Eli Blevis,et al.  Energy aware dwelling: a critical survey of interaction design for eco-visualizations , 2008, OZCHI.

[13]  M. Dekay,et al.  Public perceptions of energy consumption and savings , 2010, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[14]  R. Whittaker,et al.  A Multimedia Mobile Phone–Based Youth Smoking Cessation Intervention: Findings From Content Development and Piloting Studies , 2008, Journal of medical Internet research.

[15]  Osamu Saeki,et al.  Effectiveness of an energy-consumption information system on energy savings in residential houses based on monitored data , 2006 .

[16]  Sarah M. Greene,et al.  The Role of Engagement in a Tailored Web-Based Smoking Cessation Program: Randomized Controlled Trial , 2008, Journal of medical Internet research.

[17]  M. Newborough,et al.  Energy-use information transfer for intelligent homes : Enabling energy conservation with central and local displays , 2007 .

[18]  Casper Boks,et al.  User‐centred design for sustainable behaviour , 2008 .

[19]  Eve E. Hoggan,et al.  Eco-Feedback on the Go: Motivating Energy Awareness , 2011, Computer.

[20]  Michael Johnson,et al.  StepGreen.org: Increasing Energy Saving Behaviors via Social Networks , 2010, ICWSM.

[21]  A. Kluger,et al.  The effects of feedback interventions on performance: A historical review, a meta-analysis, and a preliminary feedback intervention theory. , 1996 .

[22]  Gwendolyn Brandon,et al.  REDUCING HOUSEHOLD ENERGY CONSUMPTION: A QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE FIELD STUDY , 1999 .

[23]  G. T. Gardner,et al.  Household actions can provide a behavioral wedge to rapidly reduce US carbon emissions , 2009, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[24]  Ibrahim Türkoglu,et al.  Creating meaningful data from web logs for improving the impressiveness of a website by using path analysis method , 2009, Expert Syst. Appl..

[25]  Rich Ling,et al.  Measured energy savings from a more informative energy bill , 1995 .

[26]  H. Dowlatabadi,et al.  Models of Decision Making and Residential Energy Use , 2007, Renewable Energy.

[27]  Scott D. Anderson,et al.  Design and Evaluation of a Social Visualization Aimed at Encouraging Sustainable Behavior , 2010, 2010 43rd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.

[28]  Corinna Fischer.  Feedback on household electricity consumption: a tool for saving energy? , 2008 .

[29]  O. Ahtola,et al.  Effects of Cost-Related Feedback on Consumer Knowledge and Consumption Behavior: A Field Experimental Approach , 1986 .

[30]  S. Karjalainen.  Consumer preferences for feedback on household electricity consumption , 2011 .

[31]  J. Thøgersen,et al.  Feedback on Household Electricity Consumption: Learning and Social Influence Processes , 2011 .

[32]  M. Newborough,et al.  Dynamic energy-consumption indicators for domestic appliances: environment, behaviour and design , 2003 .

[33]  John E. Taylor,et al.  Response–relapse patterns of building occupant electricity consumption following exposure to personal, contextualized and occupant peer network utilization data , 2010 .

[34]  Jeannet H. Van Houwelingen,et al.  The Effect of Goal-Setting and Daily Electronic Feedback on In-Home Energy Use , 1989 .

[35]  Willett Kempton,et al.  Comparison groups on bills : Automated, personalized energy information , 2006 .

[36]  James A. Landay,et al.  The design of eco-feedback technology , 2010, CHI.

[37]  Virgílio A. F. Almeida,et al.  Characterizing user behavior in online social networks , 2009, IMC '09.

[38]  Geraldine Fitzpatrick,et al.  Technology-Enabled Feedback on Domestic Energy Consumption: Articulating a Set of Design Concerns , 2009, IEEE Pervasive Computing.

[39]  Ana María Gutiérrez Arranz,et al.  The role of loyalty programs in behavioral and affective loyalty , 2006 .

[40]  John M. Darley,et al.  Behavioral approaches to residential energy conservation , 1978 .