Reminders just before the peak-demand hours to encourage peak shift of electricity consumption: Evidence from Japan

Last registered on March 30, 2023

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Reminders just before the peak-demand hours to encourage peak shift of electricity consumption: Evidence from Japan
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0010653
Initial registration date
December 19, 2022

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
January 03, 2023, 4:40 PM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated
March 30, 2023, 12:20 AM EDT

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
Hitotsubashi University

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting Co., Ltd.
PI Affiliation
Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting Co., Ltd.
PI Affiliation
Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting Co., Ltd.
PI Affiliation
Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting Co., Ltd.

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2022-12-15
End date
2023-03-31
Secondary IDs
IRB at Hitotsubashi University #2022C023
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
We investigate the behavioral impact of reminders to encourage energy savings of consumers in Japan. Our reminders will be sent just before the peak-demand hours, as the marginal cost of electricity is substantially higher at these hours than during the rest of the hours in a month. We use mobile phone app and SMS to send the reminders. In front of the reminders, messages to encourage demand shift (moral suasion) are also sent to both control and treatment groups.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Inoue, Ryosuke et al. 2023. "Reminders just before the peak-demand hours to encourage peak shift of electricity consumption: Evidence from Japan." AEA RCT Registry. March 30. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.10653-1.1
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
This trial investigates the effect of reminders to encourage energy savings of consumers in Japan. Our reminders will be sent just before the peak-demand hours, as the marginal cost of electricity is substantially higher at these hours than during the rest of the hours in a month. Another notable feature of our treatment is that the reminders will be sent using mobile phone app or SMS.
Intervention Start Date
2022-12-16
Intervention End Date
2023-03-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Household-level electricity consumption in peak-demand hours
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Individuals are randomized into two groups. We randomize the treatment at the individual level.
Randomization is implemented by stratification. We stratify our sample based on the status of app usage.
Then, we randomize the individuals into control and treatment arms separately in each group.
The treatment (reminders) will be sent using either app or SMS.
Our reminders will be sent more than once during the trial.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer. Individuals are stratified into two groups: app users and non-users. We randomize the individuals separately in each group.
Randomization Unit
We randomize at the individual level.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
8,000 individuals are classified into two groups: app users and non-users
Sample size: planned number of observations
8,000 households
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
Control: 2,000 individuals (app users); 2,000 individuals (SMS users)
Treatment: 2,000 individuals (app users); 2,000 individuals (SMS users)
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IRB at Hitotsubashi University
IRB Approval Date
2022-12-05
IRB Approval Number
2022C023
Analysis Plan

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Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials