Examining the Impact Information Representation in Eco-Feedback Systems has on Building Occupant Energy Consumption Behavior

摘要

The built environment accounts for a substantial portion of global energy consumption. Concerns over rising energy costs and climate change have led a growing number of researchers to examine the impact building occupant behavior has on energy consumption. By combining sustainable infrastructure management philosophies and information technology, researchers have developed eco-feedback systems that provide occupants with real-time information on their energy consumption. While such eco-feedback systems have been observed to drive significant reductions in energy consumption, little is known about the specific system design features that are driving such reductions. One such design feature is the way in which feedback information is represented to users. In this study, we aim to examine the role information representation plays in encouraging reductions in energy consumption. We conducted a one month empirical study with 39 participants in an urban residential building in which occupants were provided email based eco-feedback. Participants were broken into two different study groups; one group was provided with feedback in kWh and a second group was provided with feedback in the equivalent trees required to offset emissions associated with their kWh energy usage. Results revealed that information representation has a statistically significant impact on the energy consumption behavior of users. These results indicate that information representation plays an important role in an eco-feedback system's effectiveness and motivates further research to understand how information representation can be leveraged to maximize energy savings.