Applying behavioural insights to improve home energy savings

What did we do?

We worked collaboratively with OEH to adaptively manage the Home Power Savings Program.

After reviewing program materials and accompanying energy assessors on visits, we modified the program by:

• training more than 90 energy assessors in three key behaviour change principles and incorporating these techniques into household visits
• changing the format of the visits, encouraging households to discuss, agree and write down three energy-saving behaviours that they would commit to
• making communications tools simpler, with more personalised information and tips trialling three different follow-up devices used by energy assessors to reinforce commitments made by householders (SMS, phone call and a follow-up visit).

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Key findings

Changes based on this research were estimated to have contributed almost 40% to the overall energy savings for participating low-income households, which was twice as much as the figure reported in the interim evaluation (based on previous estimates of behaviour change within the program).

We also identified four vital factors that contribute to the success of adaptive management:

1. a confident organisation that is nimble, decisive and supportive of a safe to fail culture
2. recruiting external help to fill in the gaps in the Home Power Savings Program teams’ expertise and an internal champion to keep that team onside
3. getting buy-in from the team by recognising their strengths and what’s worked so far
4. Asking, not ordering.

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What else?

The program also received a 2014 Premier’s Award in the category of“Strengthening the Environment and Communities”.

We also co-authored a paper with OEH on the adaptive management process: Curtis, J., Graham, A., Ghafoori, E., Pyke, S.,Kaufman, S., & Boulet, M. (2017). Facilitating adaptive management in a government program: A household energy efficiency case study. Journal of Environmental Management, 187, 89-95.