The effect of descriptive information provision on electricity consumption: Experimental evidence from Lithuania

A-Tier
Journal: Energy Economics
Year: 2021
Volume: 104
Issue: C

Authors (3)

Asmare, Fissha (not in RePEc) Jaraitė, Jūratė (not in RePEc) Kažukauskas, Andrius (Vilniaus Universitetas)

Score contribution per author:

1.345 = (α=2.02 / 3 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Studies on the effects of information provision on residential energy use conclude that such information can promote households' energy-saving investments and conservation behavior. However, most of these studies are conducted in the U.S. or in other OECD countries, where households, on average, are richer and consume more electricity. This study evaluates the effect of descriptive information provision on residential electricity consumption in a less wealthy OECD country – Lithuania. By using a randomized experiment, we find that the availability of descriptive hourly electricity information provided on web portals reduces electricity consumption by about 8.6%. This effect is equivalent to an annual energy saving of 241 kWh per household. The effect is more pronounced for households with high energy consumption, living in rural areas and detached houses.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:eneeco:v:104:y:2021:i:c:s0140988321005417
Journal Field
Energy
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25