links for 2010-12-03

"Most domestic energy use, most of the time, is invisible to the user. Most people have only a vague idea of how much energy they are using for different purposes and what sort of difference they could make by changing day-to-day behaviour or investing in efficiency measures. Hence the importance of feedback in making energy more visible and more amenable to understanding and control. This review considers what is known about the effectiveness of feedback to householders. The focus is on how people change their behaviour, not on the detail of the technology used. There is considerable variety in the feedback literature, but common themes emerge. ... Thus feedback is useful on its own, as a selfteaching tool. It is also clear that it improves the effectiveness of other information and advice in achieving better understanding and control of energy use."