Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Title: Complementarities in Behavioral Interventions: Evidence From a Field Experiment on Energy Conservation
Author-Name: Ximeng Fang
Author-Email: x.fang@uni-bonn.de
Author-Name: Lorenz Goette
Author-Email: 
Author-Name: Bettina Rockenbach
Author-Email: 
Author-Name: Matthias Sutter
Author-Email: 
Author-Name: Verena Tiefenbeck
Author-Email: 
Author-Name: Samuel Schoeb
Author-Email: 
Author-Name: Thorsten Staake
Author-Email: 

Classification-JEL: D12, D83, Q41
Keywords: behavioral interventions, energy conservation, inattention, real-time feedback, home energy reports, policy interactions, randomized controlled trials

Abstract: Behavioral policy often aims at overcoming barriers like imperfect information and limited attention that contribute to suboptimal consumer decisions. When multiple barriers are present, a single intervention that does not overcome all barriers simultaneously may fail to unfold its full potential. We conduct a three-month randomized field experiment on energy conservation in a resource-intensive everyday activity, using two different interventions. Home energy reports fail to reduce energy use despite achieving significant knowledge gains; real-time feedback induces considerable conservation effects. Strikingly, combining both interventions boosts these effects by over 50%. This showcases how barrier multiplicity can generate complementarities in behavioral interventions.

Note: 
Length: 58
Creation-Date: 2020-01
Revision-Date: 
File-URL: https://www.crctr224.de/research/discussion-papers/archive/dp149
Handle: RePEc:bon:boncrc:CRCTR224_2021_149v2