Overview

The consumer-facing side of the grid may be the most important factor in achieving large-scale energy savings. Done right, change management campaigns that use technology and behavior techniques have the potential to make a large impact.  However, these systems will have to bring consumers into the loop in order to appeal to them.  To do this well, the process needs to include principles from psychology, marketing, change management, and behavioral economics to motivate, enable, and engage consumers in the process of managing our overall energy system.  We will discuss human behavior change as it relates to technology design, development, and deployment and try to understand how to best achieve energy efficient behaviors.

Key Questions

What is the best way to approach giving feedback to energy consumers?  How often, how much information, and what kind of automation will be most successful at achieving efficiency gains?  

Who should lead the consumer-facing side of energy distribution: utilities, government organizations, business (for example Google PowerMeter or Cisco)?  

What is the principle-agent problem?  How does it interfere with achieving energy savings?  

What kind of policies will help ensure smart energy consumption?  

Preparatory Readings

Consumers and Energy Management

06:00-07:00PM Thursday, October 29, 2009
Leader: Kat Donnelly
Location: 26-204