IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/enejou/v46y2025i4p57-86.html

Intrinsic Motivation to Promote Demand Flexibility: A Field Experiment From Household Demand

Author

Listed:
  • Adélaïde Fadhuile
  • Daniel Llerena
  • Béatrice Roussillon

Abstract

In this article, we design a non monetary demand response program to increase the share of intermittent renewable energy in the electricity production mix. We conduct a randomized field experiment over two years based on 165 households. We collect unique high-dimensional electricity data on thirty-minute household electricity consumption giving more than 6 millions observations. We introduce demand response with nonmonetary incentives coupled by a set of nudges addressing the cognitive biases that impede the optimization of electricity consumption and thus demand flexibility. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we estimate the effect of our non monetary demand response program on electricity consumption. Our results are encouraging, as demand was successfully decrease by 21 percent during the peak load event and increased by 17 percent during the peak energy production event. JEL Classification: D9, C93, Q41

Suggested Citation

  • Adélaïde Fadhuile & Daniel Llerena & Béatrice Roussillon, 2025. "Intrinsic Motivation to Promote Demand Flexibility: A Field Experiment From Household Demand," The Energy Journal, , vol. 46(4), pages 57-86, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:enejou:v:46:y:2025:i:4:p:57-86
    DOI: 10.1177/01956574251320363
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/01956574251320363
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/01956574251320363?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Azarova, Valeriya & Cohen, Jed J. & Kollmann, Andrea & Reichl, Johannes, 2020. "Reducing household electricity consumption during evening peak demand times: Evidence from a field experiment," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    2. Christophe Charlier & Gilles Guerassimoff & Ankinée Kirakozian & Sandrine Selosse, 2021. "Under Pressure! Nudging Electricity Consumption within Firms. Feedback from a Field Experiment," The Energy Journal, , vol. 42(1), pages 129-154, January.
    3. Verena Tiefenbeck & Anselma Wörner & Samuel Schöb & Elgar Fleisch & Thorsten Staake, 2019. "Publisher Correction: Real-time feedback promotes energy conservation in the absence of volunteer selection bias and monetary incentives," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 4(10), pages 891-891, October.
    4. Carroll, James & Lyons, Seán & Denny, Eleanor, 2014. "Reducing household electricity demand through smart metering: The role of improved information about energy saving," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 234-243.
    5. Asensio, Omar Isaac & Delmas, Magali A., 2016. "The dynamics of behavior change: Evidence from energy conservation," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 126(PA), pages 196-212.
    6. Sebastien Houde & Annika Todd & Anant Sudarshan & June A. Flora & K. Carrie Armel, 2013. "Real-time Feedback and Electricity Consumption: A Field Experiment Assessing the Potential for Savings and Persistence," The Energy Journal, , vol. 34(1), pages 87-102, January.
    7. Ruokamo, Enni & Meriläinen, Teemu & Karhinen, Santtu & Räihä, Jouni & Suur-Uski, Päivi & Timonen, Leila & Svento, Rauli, 2022. "The effect of information nudges on energy saving: Observations from a randomized field experiment in Finland," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    8. Verena Tiefenbeck & Anselma Wörner & Samuel Schöb & Elgar Fleisch & Thorsten Staake, 2019. "Real-time feedback promotes energy conservation in the absence of volunteer selection bias and monetary incentives," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 4(1), pages 35-41, January.
    9. repec:aen:journl:ej42-1-charlier is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Andreoni, James, 1989. "Giving with Impure Altruism: Applications to Charity and Ricardian Equivalence," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 97(6), pages 1447-1458, December.
    11. Azarova, Valeriya & Cohen, Jed J. & Kollmann, Andrea & Reichl, Johannes, 2020. "Reducing household electricity consumption during evening peak demand times: Evidence from a field experiment," Munich Reprints in Economics 84731, University of Munich, Department of Economics.
    12. repec:aen:journl:ej34-1-04 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Katrina Jessoe & David Rapson, 2014. "Knowledge Is (Less) Power: Experimental Evidence from Residential Energy Use," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(4), pages 1417-1438, April.
    14. Al-Ubaydli, Omar & Lee, Min Sok & List, John A. & Mackevicius, Claire L. & Suskind, Dana, 2021. "How can experiments play a greater role in public policy? Twelve proposals from an economic model of scaling," Behavioural Public Policy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 5(1), pages 2-49, January.
    15. Verena Tiefenbeck & Anselma Wörner & Samuel Schöb & Elgar Fleisch & Thorsten Staake, 2019. "Publisher Correction: Real-time feedback promotes energy conservation in the absence of volunteer selection bias and monetary incentives," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 4(4), pages 346-346, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Adélaïde Fadhuile & Daniel Llerena & Béatrice Roussillon, 2023. "Intrinsic motivation to promote the development of renewable energy: a field experiment from household demand," Working Papers 2023-01, Grenoble Applied Economics Laboratory (GAEL).
    2. Natalia Borzino & Benjamin Hiepler & Kathrin Schmitt & Jan Schmitz & Renate Schubert & Verena Tiefenbeck, 2025. "Switching Off: Energy Saving Goals Outshine Incentives—Evidence from a Field Experiment," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 88(6), pages 1499-1540, June.
    3. Goette, Lorenz & Gerster, Andreas & Andor, Mark, 2020. "Disaggregate Consumption Feedback and Energy Conservation," CEPR Discussion Papers 14954, Centre for Economic Policy Research.
    4. Fang, Ximeng & Goette, Lorenz & Rockenbach, Bettina & Sutter, Matthias & Tiefenbeck, Verena & Schoeb, Samuel & Staake, Thorsten, 2023. "Complementarities in behavioral interventions: Evidence from a field experiment on resource conservation," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 228(C).
    5. Michelle Berger & Henner Gimpel & Feline Schnaak & Linda Wolf, 2025. "Can feedback nudges enhance user satisfaction? Kano analysis for different eco-feedback nudge features in a smart home app," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 35(1), pages 1-21, December.
    6. Omar Al-Ubaydli & Alecia W. Cassidy & Anomitro Chatterjee & Ahmed Khalifa & Michael K. Price, 2023. "The Power to Conserve: A Field Experiment on Electricity Use in Qatar," NBER Working Papers 31931, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Dominik Bär & Stefan Feuerriegel & Ting Li & Markus Weinmann, 2023. "Message framing to promote solar panels," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    8. Wu, Libo & Zhou, Yang, 2025. "Social norms and energy conservation in China," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    9. Raman, Gururaghav & Zhao, Bo & Peng, Jimmy Chih-Hsien & Weidlich, Matthias, 2022. "Adaptive incentive-based demand response with distributed non-compliance assessment," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 326(C).
    10. Bonan, J. & Cattaneo, C. & d’Adda, G. & Galliera, A. & Tavoni, M., 2024. "Widening the scope: The direct and spillover effects of nudging water efficiency in the presence of other behavioral interventions," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    11. Jianling Jiao & Nuonuo Chen & Ranran Yang, 2024. "How to promote green travel effectively: a study of niche information interventions based on meta-analysis," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(4), pages 8267-8301, April.
    12. repec:plo:pone00:0236517 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Dirk Leffrang & Oliver Müller, 2025. "The Sustainability-Performance Trade-off in AI: The Role of Sustainability Information and Unmet Performance Goals in Sustainable AI Decisions," Working Papers Dissertations 135, Paderborn University, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics.
    14. Kayo Murakami & Hideki Shimada & Yoshiaki Ushifusa & Takanori Ida, 2022. "Heterogeneous Treatment Effects Of Nudge And Rebate: Causal Machine Learning In A Field Experiment On Electricity Conservation," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 63(4), pages 1779-1803, November.
    15. Rita Abdel Sater, 2021. "Essays on the application of behavioural insights to environmental policy [Essais sur l’application des connaissances comportementales aux politiques environnementales]," SciencePo Working papers tel-03450909, HAL.
    16. Zhiyin Li & Ben C. F. Choi, 2024. "Encouraging Eco-driving with Post-trip Visualized Storytelling: An Experiment Combining Eye-Tracking and a Driving Simulator," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 35(4), pages 1848-1872, December.
    17. Ruokamo, Enni & Meriläinen, Teemu & Karhinen, Santtu & Räihä, Jouni & Suur-Uski, Päivi & Timonen, Leila & Svento, Rauli, 2022. "The effect of information nudges on energy saving: Observations from a randomized field experiment in Finland," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    18. Julia Talbot-Jones & Sophie Hale & Suzie Greenhalgh, 2020. "Review of policy instruments for freshwater management," Motu Working Papers 20_10, Motu Economic and Public Policy Research.
    19. Andreas Gerster & Mark A. Andor & Lorenz Götte, 2020. "Disaggregate Consumption Feedback," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2020_182v2, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany, revised May 2025.
    20. Groh, Elke D. & Ziegler, Andreas, 2022. "On the relevance of values, norms, and economic preferences for electricity consumption," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    21. Brewer, Dylan, 2023. "Household responses to winter heating costs: Implications for energy pricing policies and demand-side alternatives," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • D9 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics
    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • Q41 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Demand and Supply; Prices

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:enejou:v:46:y:2025:i:4:p:57-86. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.