Raising awareness about energy savings through social influence and feedback. The document discusses how awareness can be raised by focusing on the local level, using a project-based learning framework. Effective strategies include frequent feedback on energy usage, comparisons to historical usage and others', as well as social pressures like competitions and rankings. An online social energy project at NUS found that students responded best to comparisons, goal setting, and feedback on savings. Future work could personalize feedback strategies and better understand motivations for different groups.
3. Raising Awareness is the process of informing a group’s
norms, attitudes, beliefs and actions and influencing the group
to change/transform/ re-assess its norms, attitudes, beliefs
and actions towards a theoretical or a practical issue.
Behavioral change in society occurs though the following
steps:
1. Pre-contemplation
2. Contemplation
3. Preparation
4. Action
5. Maintenance
3
Theoretical Framework
4. Raising Awareness as other information and learning initiatives are
highly influenced by:
1.The medium/tool/action used to transmit information
2.The perceptions and experiences of the communicators and the
receivers
3.The social, political and economic environment in which an
initiative takes place(cultural trends, meanings attached to the
message). Such environment may not have a direct connection with
the initiative
4.Diversity of the target groups
4
Factors influencing Awareness Raising
5. Focus on the Local Level to achieve a Global Change
Local experiences of a community in managing energy are
applicable in numerous other communities around the
globe
Local institutions can act as transmission belts of policies
and practices between the community, the region and the
globe
Local stakeholders can influence directly the community
and promote global actions on the local level
Local stakeholders are more effective in reaching
citizens in the community and adapting global trends in the
needs of the local community
Local success stories generate domino effects at global
scale
5
From Local to Global
7. Project Based Learning Framework
Practical and obvious relevance with the real world
Motivation to get involved and learn
Life long learning approach
Community level with local citizens
Sustainable knowledge
Tasks which end in real tangible outcomes
Address a problem of the local community
Social media and networks
Assessment methods
7
Get Involved
8. Sustainable Energy principles and practices are
diffused through peers and network members
Specialized knowledge is becoming visible to all
members of the network and its extended periphery
Local progress, practices and initiatives can be
extended/transmitted and adopted on a global scale
Direct communication and reflection from numerous
users
Interdisciplinary contributions, feedback and solutions
8
The Value of Online Social Networking
14. 14
Feedback through Google Power Meter Project
Timely feedback of domestic electrical consumption can
contribute in reducing the amount consumed by 5-15%.
Timely feedback of domestic electrical consumption can
contribute in reducing the amount consumed by 5-15%.
16. 16
Metering is not enough…
• Employed techniques are limited as they tend to use a “one size
fits all" approach.
• Same feedback to individuals who have different motivations
and experiences in energy saving.
• The long-term effect is limited.
20. 20
Commitment
Commitment to conserve is more successful than monetary
incentives in encouraging conservation behavior.
Commitment to conserve is more successful than monetary
incentives in encouraging conservation behavior.
23. 23
Social Factors
"Comparative feedback, in which one's energy use is contrasted
with those of others, can generating feelings of competition,
social comparison or social pressure"
"Comparative feedback, in which one's energy use is contrasted
with those of others, can generating feelings of competition,
social comparison or social pressure"
“People tend to follow what other
people do and adapt their behaviour
and practices according to the stimuli
received by their friends, relatives
and neighbours”.
“Social norms can motivate
people to question their
attitude, if they discover it is
not ”normal”.
24. 24
Social Influence
• Informational: People serve as a valuable source of information
to accurately evaluate one's behavior.
• Normative: People have a tendency to agree on the values,
beliefs, attitudes or behaviors of others.
• Descriptive: Depict what happens in a given situation based on
informational and normative influence.
• Injunctive: Describe what should happen in a given situation.
Important for avoiding the boomerang effect.
26. 26
Social Influence
"Strong participation in social movements is most likely
when activities can be easily integrated into daily life."
"Strong participation in social movements is most likely
when activities can be easily integrated into daily life."
27. 27
Social Influence
People are willing to compete in online social networks
and compare with real and known people
People are willing to compete in online social networks
and compare with real and known people
31. 31
Social Electricity
• Users prefer easy to understand info.
• Younger people prefer energy-saving tips, older people
comparisons with the past and with others.
• Older people have financial incentives, younger people are
motivated by social pressure.
• Need for more personalized feedback strategies.
• Social feedback helps in engaging people for longer time.
• Privacy issues, fair comparisons.
33. 33
NUS Social Energy
What about people without financial incentives?
Can we assess feedback strategies?
In which case is each one more suitable?
What about people without financial incentives?
Can we assess feedback strategies?
In which case is each one more suitable?
35. 35
Feature Frequency
Compare Previous Month 304
Compare Previous Year 234
Compare Tutorial Students 233
Compare Students 216
Breakdown Home Appliances 203
Goal Setting 193
Students Consumption Ranking 193
Competition 178
Compare Similar Students 173
Compare Area 166
Performance Area 151
Students Savings Ranking 149
Total Consumption Students 148
Translation 89
Tips Savings 69
Learning Material 57
Compare Friends 20
Friends Consumption Ranking 10
Friends Savings Ranking 9
Historical Feedback
Social Comparisons
Information and
Commitment
36. 36
Summing Up Motivations for Raising Awareness
• Frequent Feedback
• Historical Feedback
• Goal Setting
• Group Participation
• Public commitment
• Competition
• Rankings
• Comparative feedback
• Social norms – social influence
• Social pressure
37. 37
Success of Online Social Networking
“Persuasion in online social networks follows regular,
observable patterns. This conclusion has interesting
implications. First, software developers can tap into these
patterns to create applications that are more likely to
succeed. That some applications succeed and others fail is
Not based on pure chance; success can be learned
and replicated.
“Persuasion in online social networks follows regular,
observable patterns. This conclusion has interesting
implications. First, software developers can tap into these
patterns to create applications that are more likely to
succeed. That some applications succeed and others fail is
Not based on pure chance; success can be learned
and replicated.