Consumer preferences for feedback on household electricity consumption

Numerous studies have shown that feedback on energy consumption can work to effectively reduce household energy consumption. However, relatively little work has been done on the best ways to present information in order to maximise energy savings. In this work, different ways of presenting feedback on electricity consumption were systematically analysed and user interface prototypes were developed based on the analysis. The prototypes were shown to consumers in qualitative interviews to gain information on how well they understood them and what kind of feedback they prefer to receive on their electricity consumption. The results show that the following features of feedback on electricity consumption are most valued by consumers: presentations of costs (over a period of time), appliance-specific breakdown, i.e. information on what proportion is consumed by each appliance, and historical comparison, i.e. comparison with their own prior consumption. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.