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Cited by 2,802Pro-Environmental Behavior and AttitudesEnergy, Environment, and Transportation PoliciesExperimental Behavioral Economics Studies

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 98 of the 104 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Social norms and energy conservation

Allcott, Hunt·2011·Journal of Public Economics
DOI 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2011.03.003
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Abstract

This paper evaluates a series of programs run by a company called OPOWER to send Home Energy Report letters to residential utility customers comparing their electricity use to that of their neighbors. Using data from randomized natural field experiments at 600,000 treatment and control households across the United States, I estimate that the average program reduces energy consumption by 2.0%. The program provides additional evidence that non-price interventions can substantially and cost effectively change consumer behavior: the effect is equivalent to that of a short-run electricity price increase of 11 to 20%, and the cost effectiveness compares favorably to that of traditional energy conservation programs. Perhaps because the treatment included descriptive social norms, effects are heterogeneous: households in the highest decile of pre-treatment consumption decrease usage by 6.3%, while consumption by the lowest decile decreases by only 0.3%. A regression discontinuity design shows that different categories of “injunctive norms” played an insignificant role in encouraging relatively low users not to increase usage.

Overview

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2011.03.003

Cites

98 of 99 references verified0 citation errors · 1 not checkable

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Citations

Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. Friedrich, 2009, Saving Energy Cost-Effectively: A National Review of the Cost of Energy Saved through Utility-Sector Energy Efficiency Programs
  2. Lalonde, 1986, Evaluating the Econometric Evaluations of Training Programs, American Economic Review, 76, 604

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Metadata

Authors
Allcott, H.
Affiliations
New York University (US)
Corresponding author
Allcott, Hunt
Venue
Journal of Public Economics
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2011-10
Volume
95
Issue
9-10
Pages
1082-1095
ISSN
0047-2727 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.jpubeco.2011.03.003
OpenAlex
W2139035425
Cited by
2,802
References
104
Citations by year
2026: 225 · 2025: 209 · 2024: 194 · 2023: 208 · 2022: 226 · 2021: 257 · 2020: 225 · 2019: 240 · 2018: 199 · 2017: 171 · 2016: 165 · 2015: 161 · 2014: 147 · 2013: 94 · 2012: 55
FWCI
263.94
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
Journal of Public Economics (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law › Pro-Environmental Behavior and Attitudes
  • Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Energy, Environment, and Transportation Policies
  • Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies
Keywords
social norms, energy conservation, social comparison, residential electricity consumption, cost-effectiveness, injunctive norms, descriptive norms, treatment effect heterogeneity

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