extended · article · 2019

Beyond “one-size-fits-all” platforms: Applying Campbell's paradigm to test personalized energy advice in the Netherlands

Alain D. Starke; Martijn C. Willemsen; Chris Snijders; Mark Wilson

<p>When analyzing ways in which people save energy, most researchers and policy makers conceptually differentiate between curtailment (e.g. unplugging chargers) and efficiency measures (e.g. installing PV cells). However, such a two-dimensional approach is suboptimal from both a conceptual and policy perspective, as it does not consider individual differences that determine energy-saving behavior. We propose a different, one-dimensional approach, applying Campbell's Paradigm through the Rasch model, in which both curtailment and efficiency measures are intermixed on a single scale and ordered according to their behavioral costs. By matching these behavioral costs to individual energy-saving attitudes, we investigate to what extent attitude-tailored energy-saving advice can help consumers to save energy. We present the results of two studies. The first study (N = 263) reliably calib...