{"id":68663,"date":"2023-11-20T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-20T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/?post_type=publication&p=68663"},"modified":"2024-08-19T14:39:54","modified_gmt":"2024-08-19T13:39:54","slug":"the-power-to-conserve-a-field-experiment-on-electricity-use-in-qatar","status":"publish","type":"publication","link":"https:\/\/www.lse.ac.uk\/granthaminstitute\/publication\/the-power-to-conserve-a-field-experiment-on-electricity-use-in-qatar\/","title":{"rendered":"The power to conserve: a field experiment on electricity use in Qatar"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

While there have been great advances in understanding the beliefs and behaviour that affect residential energy use, the determinants of energy use among the top 1% of global users remains an unanswered question. There is some evidence that high users are most responsive to incentives to reduce use, but little is known about how to most effectively motivate them to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To study this question, the authors implemented an experiment in Qatar, where residential customers have some of the highest per-capita energy use – and CO2<\/sub> emissions – in the world. The study involved around 6,000 customers and tested the effect of messages related to identity: either a religious message quoting the Qur’an, or a message reminding households that the Qatari government prioritises energy conservation. Electricity use declined by 3.8% among the treatment group and both messages were effective. If this reduction were scaled up to all of Qatar, the savings would be equivalent to the energy consumed by nearly 57,000 homes over one year in the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key points for decision-makers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n