https://escholarship.org/content/qt9p95z5m6/qt9p95z5m6.pdf

How people use thermostats in homes: A review

This article provides a comprehensive review of theory and research on the individual-level predictors of household energy usage. Drawing on literature from across the social sciences, we examine two broad categories of variables that have been identified as potentially important for explaining variability in energy consumption and conservation: socio-demographic factors (e.g., income, employment status, dwelling type/size, home ownership, household size, stage of family life cycle) and psychological factors (e.g., beliefs and attitudes, motives and intentions, perceived behavioral control, cost-benefit appraisals, personal and social norms). Despite an expanding literature, we find that empirical evidence of the impact of these variables has been far from consistent and conclusive to date. Such inconsistency poses challenges for drawing generalizable conclusions, and underscores the complexity of consumer behavior in this domain. In this article, we propose that a multitude of factors—whether directly, indirectly, or in interaction—influence how householders consume and conserve energy. Theory, research and practice can be greatly advanced by understanding what these factors are, and how, when, where, why and for whom they operate. We conclude by outlining some important practical implications for policymakers and directions for future research.

/pdf/the-socio-demographic-and-psychological-predictors-of-5eci1mkmhh.pdf

The Socio-Demographic and Psychological Predictors of Residential Energy Consumption: A Comprehensive Review

Author(s): Lutzenhiser, Loren | Abstract: This white paper explores the ways in which residential consumers are addressed by California utility-managed energy efficiency programs, and offers suggestions for improvements that might better support the state’s ambitious greenhouse gas reduction goals. The report reviews the assumptions that underlie the state’s residential energy efficiency policies and programs. A key set of assumptions can be found in a physical-technical-economic model (PTEM) that has oriented energy efficiency program design for several decades. The authors examine a suite of programs currently in operation and identify four somewhat different approaches being taken to influenceconsumer behavior and choice. They are variants of the PTEM, but also diverge by adding somewhat more realistic elements.

/pdf/behavioral-assumptions-underlying-california-residential-3okflpouul.pdf

Behavioral Assumptions Underlying California Residential Sector Energy Efficiency Programs

Many electricity suppliers around the world are deploying smart meters to gather fine-grained spatiotemporal consumption data and to effectively manage the collective demand of their consumer base. In this paper, we introduce a structured framework and a discriminative index that can be used to segment the consumption data along multiple contextual dimensions such as locations, communities, seasons, weather patterns, holidays, etc. The generated segments can enable various higher-level applications such as usagespecific tariff structures, theft detection, consumer-specific demand response programs, etc. Our framework is also able to track consumers’ behavioral changes, evaluate different temporal aggregations, and identify main characteristics which define a cluster.

https://researcher.watson.ibm.com/researcher/files/in-tanuja.ganu/sdm14-final.pdf

Consumer Segmentation and Knowledge Extraction from Smart Meter and Survey Data

Residential energy use has been envisioned in varied ways, each highlighting different factors and capturing a partial truth. This paper outlines assumptions of core theories about household energy use. It gives an abbreviated list of major empirical findings framed by these theories. It then identifies a new set of “blind spots” created by overly-simple reliance on models and by data shortcomings that in combination may block development of a more sophisticated understanding of energy use. Policies and program strategies, in turn, can become oriented toward simplistic approaches to change. We point to the need for improved interpretation and elaboration of existing theories, and accordingly toward richer comprehension of energy users and the dynamics of energy use, suitable to the wider policy world of climate change and sustainability that the energy use research field now faces.

/pdf/what-s-missing-in-theories-of-the-residential-energy-user-1ux4s4h6f3.pdf

What's Missing in Theories of the Residential Energy User

Marketing programs and strategies based on conventional demographic and geographic segmentations have limitations in that customers in traditional categories often have very diverse attitudes, values, motivations, beliefs and lifestyles. Psychographic segmentation overcomes these limitations by uncovering groups of people homogeneous in terms of how they think, feel and act – not what they look like, what they possess or where they live. In turn, strategies and campaigns can be developed such that unique segments receive marketing support and messaging that truly resonates and engages them, thus reinforcing the desired objective of, in this case, changing the way they think about and use electricity. In June 2006, BC Hydro completed a territory-wide end-use survey of 4,191 residential customers that was supplemented with a set of 60 attitudinal and behavioral questions in regards to electricity and conservation. A multi-disciplinary project team determined via k-means statistical analysis that the market – both at the bill payer and household level – could be most effectively represented by six psychographic segments based on the criteria of them being measurable, substantial, accessible, differentiable and actionable. Subsequent analysis of the six segments by household electricity consumption patterns lends credibility to respondents’ attitudes and self-reported behaviors in the survey, and validity to the developed segmentation model.

Marc Pedersen

Papers

Segmenting Residential Customers: Energy and Conservation Behaviors