Customer Engagement Experiment: Which Follow-Up Strategies Turn Home Energy Audits Into Energy Savings?

摘要

This paper summarizes results from the Customer Engagement Experiment, arnrandomized controlled trial conducted between March 2012 and March 2013 in collaborationrnwith an energy efficiency organization and an academic institution. This experiment wasrndesigned to measure the effectiveness of different follow-up strategies on increasing the numberrnand rate of energy efficiency improvements following a free in-home or phone-based energyrnaudit (Home Energy Review, or HER). Customers receiving HERs between March andrnDecember 2012 were randomly selected into one of three groups: a control group and tworndistinct treatment groups. The treatment groups differed in terms of the frequency and type ofrnfollow-up with contacts after the HER, as well as incentive amounts. The primary researchrnobjectives of this experiment are to determine how varying follow-up approaches impactrnsubsequent program participation, and which approaches are most effective. First, we describernthe experimental design and sample characteristics. Then, we summarize the results of anrnanalysis of follow-through: the proportion of customers that went on to install measures after thernHER. We conclude with a discussion of programmatic implications based on these results, andrnthe potential for energy efficiency organizations to leverage these learnings for their own followuprnstrategies.