The effect of tailored information, goal setting, and tailored feedback on household energy use, energy-related behaviors, and behavioral antecedents
Open accessAbstract
In this multidisciplinary study, an Internet-based tool was used to encourage households ( N =189) to reduce their direct (gas, electricity and fuel) and indirect energy use (embedded in the production, transportation and disposal of consumer goods). A combination of tailored information, goal setting (5%), and tailored feedback was used. The purpose of this study was to examine whether this combination of interventions would result in (i) changes in direct and indirect energy use, (ii) changes in energy-related behaviors, and (iii) changes in behavioral antecedents (i.e. knowledge). After 5 months, households exposed to the combination of interventions saved 5.1%, while households in the control group used 0.7% more energy. Households exposed to the interventions saved significantly more direct energy than households in the control group did. No difference in indirect energy savings emerged. Households exposed to the interventions adopted a number of energy-saving behaviors during the course of the study, whereas households in the control group did so to a lesser extent. Households exposed to the interventions had significantly higher knowledge levels of energy conservation than the control group had. It is argued that if the aim is to effectively encourage household energy conservation, it is necessary to examine changes in energy use, energy-related behaviors and behavioral antecedents.
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Environmental messages may be more effective when they appeal to normative values and morality or contain practical information about how to change behaviour, rather than just containing factual information.
“Environmental messages may be more effective when they appeal to normative values and morality or contain practical information about how to change behaviour, rather than just containing factual information [15][16][17][18][19].”
From Promoting the Use of Reusable Coffee Cups through Environmental Messaging, the Provision of Alternatives and Financial Incentives (2018) · cites this paper as [15]
In “Strategies for behavioral change” (page unavailable), the paper distinguishes factual information from information about ways to save energy, says information alone does not necessarily change behavior, and describes tailored information as potentially more effective. It also discusses social norms in the context of comparative feedback, but does not establish that messages appealing to normative values or morality are more effective. (LLM, conf=0.84)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredNumerous other studies have found that goal setting and commitment can enhance residential electricity conservation [22,23,33,34].
“This is consistent with numerous other studies that have found that the combination of goal setting and commitment can enhance residential electricity conservation (e.g., [22, 23, 33, 34]).”
Others have found that combined interventions often lead to greater conservation because different individuals experience different barriers and are motivated by different factors that may be addressed by different interventions.
“others have found that combined interventions often lead to greater conservation because different individuals experience different barriers and are motivated by different factors that may be addressed by different interventions [22, 25].”
From Electricity and Water Conservation on College and University Campuses in Response to National Competitions among Dormitories: Quantifying Relationships between Behavior, Conservation Strategies and Psychological Metrics (2015) · cites this paper as [22]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredProviding information may result in more knowledge, but that does not necessarily translate into behaviour change.
“Providing information may result in more knowledge, but that does not necessarily translate into behaviour change [15].”
From Promoting the Use of Reusable Coffee Cups through Environmental Messaging, the Provision of Alternatives and Financial Incentives (2018) · cites this paper as [15]
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- Authors
- Abrahamse, W., Steg, L., Vlek, C., & Rothengatter, T.
- Affiliations
- University of Groningen (NL)
- Corresponding author
- Abrahamse, Wokje
- Venue
- Journal of Environmental Psychology
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2007-12
- Volume
- 27
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 265-276
- ISSN
- 0272-4944 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2129525767
- Cited by
- 880
- References
- 36
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 26 · 2024: 38 · 2023: 47 · 2022: 45 · 2021: 51 · 2020: 97 · 2019: 62 · 2018: 79 · 2017: 59 · 2016: 62 · 2015: 59 · 2014: 68 · 2013: 47 · 2012: 48
- FWCI
- 57.19
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Environmental Psychology (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- Rijksuniversiteit Groningen
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law › Environmental Education and Sustainability
- Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Energy, Environment, and Transportation Policies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Behavioral Health and Interventions
- Keywords
- residential energy conservation, tailored information, goal setting, personalized feedback, energy-saving behavior, behavioral antecedents, energy knowledge, energy consumption reduction, online intervention
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