Boosting energy saving competences: two comparative field experiments of behavioral interventions based on a mechanistic framework

Behavioral interventions strive for sustainability by affecting energy consumers’ behavior. Although promising, they are beset by major issues. Most of their instances rely on “nudging” approaches, which uses subtle changes in the decision environment to trigger automatic responses.

As a consequence, people learn nothing from being nudged, and acquire no skills that would help them conserve energy in the long term. Hence, the effectiveness of such interventions is short-lived, and their implementation is ethically questionable.

Our project addresses both issues: First, we test the effectiveness of a new type of energy saving interventions, called “boosts”, comparing them with prevailing nudges. Boosts achieve behavioral change through enhancing peoples’ competences, thus empowering them to perform the target behavior better and for longer. Second, we uncover the mechanisms behind the boosts, which will inform policy makers when, where, and for whom they are applicable and acceptable.