Behavioural change in an urban smart-grid community

Achieving long term behavioral change is a challenging task, especially when it comes to changing energy use habits. In our research we explore the social route to behavioral change, and examine how people influence each other in urban communities. We explore the conditions under which individuals are most likely to change their habits, and strengthen their intrinsic motivation to become more sustainable energy users.
In this presentation, we discuss initial results of two field studies which were conducted in a smart grid pilot in the Dutch city of Amersfoort. Our research participants are 100 middle- to upper-income households, who have been participating in the pilot since September 2013. We are measuring their energy use using Net2Grid equipment (https://www.net2grid.com/en/), and periodically assessing their motivations via online questionnaires. The field study Insight4all studies the effects of a Home Energy Management System (Net2Grid) on energy use behavior. The field study Together4all studies collective goal setting on reducing energy use, using the Shifft platform (http://shifft.com/), and collective purchasing of more efficient appliances and boilers.
This research is part of the Smart grid: rendement voor iedereen project. More information on the project can be found here: http://www.smartgridrendement.nl/.