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Comparing energy usage with similar households or providing financial incentives can lead to an average reduction in consumption by seven per cent.
Research by the Centre of Economic Performance (CEP) examined First Utility customers using smart meters and the my:energy portal, which provides visual information on consumption and comparisons with similar households.
There was an immediate consumption reduction of about 11 per cent, but this averaged out at about seven per cent in the longer term for customers using the web portal.
There was also an average of an 8 per cent reduction in energy use when customers were offered a £100 reward if they were able to reduce their energy consumption by 30 per cent over two months.
Ed Kamm, chief marketing officer at First Utility, said: “As a society we need to reduce our energy consumption and it seems that tapping into our competitive spirit is a good way to do this.”
Professor Dolan from the CEP, said that the study showed providing information on the energy use of an average neighbour can “promote conservation at a low cost”.
He added: “We recommend that governments take such financial incentives and social norms seriously if they want to promote energy conservation for the purposes of tackling climate change.”
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