Power efficiency classes for households – monitoring long-term effects of a power saving intervention

Panel: 9. Consumption and behaviour

This is a peer-reviewed paper.

Authors:
Immanuel Stiess, ISOE - Institute for Social-Ecological Research, Germany
Corinna Fischer, Öko-Institute e.V., Germany
Sarah Kresse, ISOE – Institute for Social-Ecological Research, Germany

Abstract

Private households account for about 25% of total electricity consumption in Germany. From a technical point of view the theoretical savings potential is up to 65%. Despite many attempts to promote power saving consumption and investment practices of households, only small savings have been achieved. Actual power consumption fell by about 7% between 2008 and 2014. Yet this is still about 10% above 1990 level, indicating that more potential exists. In the contribution, we will present insights from the implementation of an integrated approach to power saving. Based on comparative feedback, the project “power efficiency classes for households” is designed to help households to evaluate their total power consumption and to plan and implement priority savings measures. The approach aims at jointly overcoming various barriers: lack of motivation, lack of knowledge about total consumption and most effective measures as well as lack of planning, feedback and appreciation. It features a communication campaign with four basic elements: a classification system for comparative feedback, a power audit, various communication tools supporting self-monitoring of householders, and a certificate reporting the effects of the power saving efforts at the end of the intervention period. Drawing on a field trial with 98 households in two regions in Germany, we will present some of the results from an exemplary implementation of the approach. Data sources are consumption measurements at the end of the intervention period, as well as an additional survey one year after the end of the field trial. They demonstrate average savings of 5% (and more in ”high consumption” households) at the end of the trial. Savings even increased further after the the field trial was terminated. In our contribution we will focus on the long-term effect of the intervention and discuss some factors that might help establish new routines towards more efficient practices of power consumption.