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Under Pressure! Nudging Electricity Consumption within Firms: Feedback from a Field Experiment

Author

Listed:
  • Christophe Charlier

    (Université Côte d'Azur, France
    GREDEG CNRS)

  • Gilles Guerassimoff

    (MINES ParisTech
    PSL Research University
    Center for Applied Mathematics)

  • Ankinée Kirakozian

    (Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France
    IDP
    GREDEG CNRS)

  • Sandrine Selosse

    (MINES ParisTech
    PSL Research University
    Center for Applied Mathematics)

Abstract

Many economists and psychologists have studied the impact of nudges on households' pro-environmental behaviors. Interestingly, "private nudges" can be imagined for companies. Yet, studies focusing on nudging employees' energy use are rare. The objective of our paper is to explore this issue with the help of a field experiment conducted at 47 French companies' sites. Using a difference-in-difference methodology, the effects of three nudges on employees' energy conservation are tested. The first nudge, "moral appeal", stresses the responsible use of energy. The second one, "social compariso"”, informs employees on the energy consumption of other firms participating in the experiment. Finally, the third nudge, "stickers", alerts employees about good energy conservation practices. Our results stress the complementarity of these nudges. When implemented alone, the three nudges have no significant effects on energy consumption. However, when the moral appeal and social comparison nudges are combined with the stickers one, they become effective.

Suggested Citation

  • Christophe Charlier & Gilles Guerassimoff & Ankinée Kirakozian & Sandrine Selosse, 2019. "Under Pressure! Nudging Electricity Consumption within Firms: Feedback from a Field Experiment," GREDEG Working Papers 2019-18, Groupe de REcherche en Droit, Economie, Gestion (GREDEG CNRS), Université Côte d'Azur, France, revised Mar 2020.
    • Handle: RePEc:gre:wpaper:2019-18
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Fanghella, Valeria & D'Adda, Giovanna & Tavoni, Massimo, 2022. "Evaluating the impact of technological renovation and competition on energy consumption in the workplace," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    3. Boqiang Lin & Huanyu Jia, 2023. "The role of peers in promoting energy conservation among Chinese university students," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-10, December.
    4. Nathalie Lazaric & Mira Toumi, 2021. "Boosting Citizens Towards Reduced Energy Consumption: A Field Experiment in the Principality of Monaco," GREDEG Working Papers 2021-17, Groupe de REcherche en Droit, Economie, Gestion (GREDEG CNRS), Université Côte d'Azur, France.
    5. Ankinée KIRAKOZIAN & Raphaël CHIAPPINI & Nabila ARFAOUI, 2023. "Nudging employees for greener mobility A field experiment," Bordeaux Economics Working Papers 2023-09, Bordeaux School of Economics (BSE).
    6. Llerena, D. & Roussillon, B. & Teyssier, S. & Buckley, P. & Delinchant, B. & Ferrari, J. & Laranjeira, T. & Wurtz, F., 2021. "Demand response in the workplace: A field experiment," Working Papers 2021-01, Grenoble Applied Economics Laboratory (GAEL).
    7. Haicheng Ling & Pierre-Yves Massé & Thibault Rihet & Frédéric Wurtz, 2023. "Realistic Nudging through ICT Pipelines to Help Improve Energy Self-Consumption for Management in Energy Communities," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-24, July.
    8. Adélaïde Fadhuile & Daniel Llerena & Béatrice Roussillon, 2023. "Intrinsic Motivation to Promote the Development of Renewable Energy : A Field Experiment from Household Demand," Working Papers hal-03977597, HAL.
    9. Vivek Choudhary & Masha Shunko & Serguei Netessine & Seongjoon Koo, 2022. "Nudging Drivers to Safety: Evidence from a Field Experiment," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(6), pages 4196-4214, June.
    10. Leonie Decrinis & Wolfgang Freibichler & Micha Kaiser & Cass R. Sunstein & Lucia A. Reisch, 2023. "Sustainable behaviour at work: How message framing encourages employees to choose electric vehicles," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(8), pages 5650-5668, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Energy demand management; Private nudges; Peer pressure; Field experiment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • D04 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Microeconomic Policy: Formulation; Implementation; Evaluation
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • Q41 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Demand and Supply; Prices

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