The Effect of Combined Information-Based Interventions on Chinese Residents’ Electricity Conservation: A Field Experiment in Shared Residences

Abstract

The use of combined information-based interventions to promote electricity-saving behavior among residents in shared spaces holds significant potential in reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions. However, this topic remains under-explored and poorly understood in China, where coal-fired power accounts for 58.40% of electricity generation. Despite some studies investigating the efficacy of combined information interventions on energy conservation, their effectiveness remains  controversial. This study, therefore, designed three combined information interventions and conducted a 28-week field-controlled experiment to assess their effectiveness in motivating Chinese individuals in shared residences to save electricity. The Difference-in-Difference analysis was employed to evaluate their effectiveness. The results revealed that the strategy combining normative feedback and group-contrast feedback exhibited the most energy-saving effect, with an 8.75% energy savings relative to the control group. Surprisingly, the strategy combining normative feedback and instruction-based information failed to generate significant energy savings, but the addition of self-contrast feedback improved its energy-saving effect. Moreover, the effectiveness of the combined information interventions is influenced by the duration of messaging, with a two-to-three-week delay before a positive effect on behavioral change. The combined information interventions exhibited sustained energy-saving effect after they were withdrawn. However, the sustained energy-saving effect was found to decrease over time, necessitating further investigation to ensure long-term energy savings. These findings provide valuable insights and recommendations on how to use combined information interventions to motivate residents to conserve energy in shared spaces, including the need to consider the combinatory choices of intervention, intervention duration, and social contexts.

Keywords: combined information-based interventions, electricity-saving effect, Chinese residents, shared residences, controlled field experiment