Understanding Users of Online Energy Efficiency Platforms for Sustainable Homes

Navigating the Diverse Needs of Energy-Conscious Consumers

Unraveling the Complexities of Energy Efficiency Adoption

In the face of global climate change, nations worldwide are tasked with reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions through targeted initiatives. While digital technologies hold immense potential to support this transition, our understanding of energy practices within private households remains limited. This challenge is further amplified by the ‘invisible’ nature of users’ interactions with energy systems and the impact of deep-rooted habits.

To address this gap, our study explores how the touchpoints embedded within digital sustainability platforms shape energy-efficient behaviors among diverse user groups. Drawing on data from in-depth interviews and a co-creation workshop with 25 energy experts, we first identify three distinct user representations: energy-unaware, living in denial, and energy-aware and active. These dynamic user profiles provide a nuanced understanding of the socio-cognitive factors that drive sustainable energy consumption in private homes.

“MySmartE addresses the need to effectively deploy energy-efficiency and decarbonization programs in residential communities that would result in measurable, transferable and sustainable outcomes.” – Panagiota Karava, Purdue University

Based on these insights, we develop a set of design principles to promote energy-efficient behaviors through digital platforms. These principles are then mapped to Lemon and Verhoef’s (2016) touchpoint typology, highlighting how intentionally shaping each touchpoint is crucial for driving behavioral change and maintaining user engagement over time. An analysis of user feedback from our platform further confirms the value of this approach, with 76% of respondents indicating their intent to implement energy-saving measures.

By unraveling the complexities of energy efficiency adoption, this article offers a comprehensive framework for designing digital sustainability platforms that cater to the evolving needs of energy-conscious consumers. Whether you’re a policymaker, energy provider, or sustainability enthusiast, understanding the diverse user representations and their corresponding touchpoints can unlock the full potential of digital technologies in driving the transition towards sustainable homes.

Recognizing the Diverse Needs of Energy Users

The residential sector accounts for a significant portion of global energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, making it a critical area for promoting sustainable practices. Various initiatives have been implemented to improve energy efficiency and reduce energy use in individual households, ranging from building retrofits to the deployment of smart devices. However, the effectiveness of these interventions has been mixed, often falling short of the desired behavioral changes.

“A major advantage of implementing smart devices is that they do not require a large investment in communication infrastructure for data collection and system control.” – Panagiota Karava, Purdue University

One key challenge is that traditional ‘static’ approaches to energy efficiency promotion, such as public awareness campaigns, often fail to resonate with the diverse needs and preferences of private households. These one-size-fits-all strategies overlook the complexities of user behaviors, their prior knowledge, and the available resources for change.

To address this shortcoming, researchers have turned their attention towards more interactive and personalized approaches to behavioral change, leveraging digital technologies such as gamification, social media, and peer-to-peer trading platforms. These emerging digital sustainability platforms aim to engage users, promote energy-conscious habits, and empower them to take concrete actions towards improving their household energy efficiency.

However, our understanding of user needs and preferences in the private household context remains limited. This gap is particularly important, as a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to platform design is unlikely to appeal to the diverse user groups that exist within residential communities.

Unveiling Three Distinct User Representations

To address this challenge, our study adopted a socio-cognitive perspective, drawing on Bandura’s (1986, 2001) Social Cognitive Theory to explore the antecedents of energy-efficient behaviors. We focused on three key concepts: self-efficacy, outcome expectancy, and social modelling.

“Engagement is further accelerated by an intuitive user interface for efficient thermostat control and modularized software infrastructure.” – Panagiota Karava, Purdue University

Through in-depth interviews and a co-creation workshop with 25 energy experts, we identified three distinct user representations that digital sustainability platforms should target:

Energy-Unaware Users: These users exhibit a sense of ‘obliviousness’ towards the environmental impact of their energy consumption behaviors and have limited self-efficacy for change. They often lack the knowledge and skills to monitor and analyze their energy use, leading to unconscious habits and routines that contribute to inefficient practices.
Energy Users Living in Denial: While these users are aware of energy-related issues, they do not feel a sense of urgency to take concrete actions for change. They may be conscious of the potential outcomes of energy-efficient behaviors, such as cost savings, but are unwilling to forgo their current standards of living due to uncertainty about the personal and societal benefits.
Energy-Aware and Active Users: This user group is characterized by their proactive engagement in a variety of energy-saving initiatives, including the adoption of smart technologies, home renovations, and the integration of renewable energy sources. They are motivated by environmental values and seek to become early adopters of energy-efficient solutions, often acting as role models for others in their community.

By unpacking these diverse user representations, we gain a deeper understanding of the socio-cognitive factors that shape energy-efficient behaviors in private households. This lays the foundation for designing digital sustainability platforms that can effectively cater to the unique needs and motivations of each user group.

Mapping the Touchpoints of Sustainable Energy Behaviors

To further explore how digital platforms can promote energy-efficient behaviors, we drew on Lemon and Verhoef’s (2016) touchpoint typology. This framework identifies four key types of touchpoints that shape users’ experiences and interactions with products or services:

User-Owned Touchpoints: These are actions and devices that are directly controlled by users, such as household appliances, smart meters, and energy-saving routines.
Social/External Touchpoints: Touchpoints that center on the wider environment and the influence of peer feedback, social norms, and community engagement.
Brand-Owned Touchpoints: Touchpoints designed, managed, and controlled by focal agents, such as energy service providers, landlords, and the media.
Partner-Owned Touchpoints: Touchpoints that are jointly designed, managed, and controlled by partners in the energy sector, including market regulators, infrastructure providers, and public agencies.

By mapping these touchpoints to the three user representations identified earlier, we gained valuable insights into how digital sustainability platforms can effectively promote energy-efficient behaviors across different stages of the user journey.

“MySmartE achieved more than 80% residential engagement and 30% energy-use reduction when deployed in more than 130 households across four Indiana cities.” – Panagiota Karava, Purdue University

For energy-unaware users, the key focus should be on enabling them to anticipate the impact of changing their routine actions on energy consumption and CO2 emissions. This can be achieved through user-owned touchpoints that provide clear and meaningful information on energy bills and consumption practices.

Energy users living in denial, on the other hand, require support in understanding the urgency of changing their energy consumption behaviors and the positive outcomes they can expect, such as financial savings and environmental benefits. Brand-owned touchpoints, like energy bills and service information, play a crucial role in shaping their outcome expectancy and willingness to act.

For energy-aware and active users, social/external touchpoints become particularly important, as they seek to learn from and emulate the energy-efficient practices of their peers. Partner-owned touchpoints, such as regulations and incentive programs, can also reinforce their motivation and provide the necessary resources to implement more ambitious energy-saving measures.

Designing Digital Platforms for Sustainable Energy Behaviors

By synthesizing the insights from our user representations and touchpoint analysis, we developed a set of seven design principles to guide the development of effective digital sustainability platforms:

Enable users to anticipate the impact of changing routine actions: Empower energy-unaware users to understand how simple changes in their daily habits can significantly reduce energy consumption and emissions.
Provide clear information on energy bills and consumption practices: Help energy users living in denial gain a better understanding of their energy use and the potential for cost savings through energy-efficient behaviors.
Support users in evaluating how regulations influence their energy decisions: Ensure energy-aware and active users are informed about the policy context and how it shapes their options for improving household energy efficiency.
Highlight the urgency of changing energy consumption behaviors for climate action: Motivate energy users living in denial by emphasizing the importance of their individual actions in addressing the global challenge of climate change.
Educate users on avoiding the issue of energy rebound: Empower all user groups to understand how efficiency gains can be offset by unconscious changes in their energy consumption patterns, and provide guidance on maintaining sustainable practices.
Present users with role models on improving resilience against seasonal impacts: Inspire energy-aware and active users to explore smart technologies and strategies that can help them maintain energy-efficient behaviors throughout the year.
Tailor behavioral change recommendations and social comparators to users’ housing status: Ensure that energy-efficiency advice and community engagement opportunities are relevant and accessible to both homeowners and renters.

By applying these design principles across the user-owned, brand-owned, partner-owned, and social/external touchpoints, digital sustainability platforms can effectively engage and support energy users on their journey towards more sustainable household practices.

“Our extensive interviews with residents revealed that gamification in MySmartE turns the energy-saving process into a fun and enjoyable activity while increasing energy awareness.” – Panagiota Karava, Purdue University

Evaluating the Impact of Digital Sustainability Platforms

To validate the effectiveness of our approach, we analyzed user feedback from the ACT4ECO digital platform, which was developed as part of the EU-funded ECO2 project. The platform aimed to guide users through a ‘ladder of change’, supporting their transition from energy-unaware to energy-aware and active behaviors.

The survey results indicate that 76% of respondents intended to implement changes in their energy consumption and efficiency, including adapting their behaviors, monitoring energy use, and upgrading to more energy-efficient appliances. Importantly, 100% of these respondents stated that the changes would continue to be part of their lives going forward, and 51% reported being very motivated to maintain these new practices.

“Engagement is further accelerated by an intuitive user interface for efficient thermostat control and modularized software infrastructure.” – Panagiota Karava, Purdue University

The survey also revealed that content related to user-owned touchpoints, such as information on appliance energy consumption and energy bill management, was deemed the most interesting and useful by users. In contrast, content focused on partner-owned touchpoints (e.g., regulations and financing schemes) and brand-owned touchpoints (e.g., energy pricing) were evaluated as less understandable, highlighting the need for further education and support in these areas.

While the survey results suggest a positive impact of the ACT4ECO platform, platform data also pointed to the challenge of sustaining user engagement over time. The average session duration for regular users was significantly higher than for occasional users, and the bounce rate remained relatively high. This underscores the importance of continuously refining the platform’s design and content to maintain user interest and drive long-term behavioral change.

Unlocking the Potential of Digital Sustainability

By unveiling the diverse user representations and mapping the corresponding touchpoints, this study offers a comprehensive framework for designing effective digital sustainability platforms that can promote energy-efficient behaviors in private households.

“The MySmartE team includes: Panagiota Karava, professor in the Lyles School of Civil Engineering; Yaowen Wu, assistant professor in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering; Sang woo Ham, assistant professor in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics; and Suresh Sharma, professor in the School of Mechanical Engineering.” – Purdue University Newsroom

Our findings contribute to the growing body of research on digital sustainability by extending the focus beyond organizational contexts to the realm of individual energy consumption practices. By recognizing the socio-cognitive factors that shape user behaviors and the importance of touchpoints in shaping their journeys, we provide valuable insights for policymakers, energy providers, and sustainability enthusiasts alike.

As the world continues to grapple with the challenge of climate change, digital sustainability platforms hold immense potential to empower energy-conscious consumers and drive the transition towards more sustainable homes. By catering to the diverse needs and motivations of users, these platforms can unlock the full potential of digital technologies in promoting energy efficiency and supporting the global fight against environmental degradation.