The impact of real-time energy consumption feedback on residential gas and electricity usage

We implemented a Randomized Controlled Trial to estimate the impact of real-time energy consumption feedback on residential energy use. A random half of the participant households were offered an energy consumption monitor that uses smart-meter data to relay real-time information on energy use. The feedback resulted in natural gas and electricity savings of, respectively, 6.9 and 2.2 percent; the total amount of energy consumed was reduced by 5.8 percent. We probe the underlying mechanisms by means of a survey and find suggestive evidence that the display's main impact is via raising the salience of the costs of using energy.