energy saving of public buildings

Last registered on August 28, 2024
View Trial History

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
energy saving of public buildings
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0013870
Initial registration date
August 22, 2024

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
August 28, 2024, 3:10 PM EDT

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

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Primary Investigator

Name
yi song
Affiliation
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2024-07-01
End date
2024-10-31
Keywords
Behavior, Environment & Energy
Additional Keywords
Buildings
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Public buildings are a significant source of energy consumption in China and have long faced issues such as poorly managed energy systems. Improved and automated control of air conditioning systems in these buildings can effectively reduce energy waste. However, if occupant behavior is not adequately considered, it can negatively impact their acceptance of newly developed technologies, thereby hindering the achievement of energy conservation goals. By taking into account policy standards regarding air conditioning temperature requirements, we implement various energy-saving strategies and conduct randomized controlled experiments in several public buildings in China. We collect high-frequency data to analyze the impact of different energy-saving strategies on energy consumption as well as user experience. The research results can support efficient energy management and decarbonization in the building sector.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
song, yi. 2024. "energy saving of public buildings." AEA RCT Registry. August 28. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.13870-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The interventions applied to the experimental group include setting a maximum temperature limit, establishing temperature monitoring intervals, and scheduling automatic shutdowns. In contrast, the control group had no interventions and allowed users to fully control their air conditioning usage.
Intervention Start Date
2024-08-15
Intervention End Date
2024-09-22

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
energy consumption; operating duration; air conditioning temperature; user adjustment frequency; adjustment amplitude; number of devices offline; number of user complaints; and number of samples with intervention cessation.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
User adjustment frequency refers to the number of times users adjust the air conditioning temperature within a specific period.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
air conditioning wind speed; air conditioning mode
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
This study was conducted in 17 public buildings in Hubei Province, China, with more than 450 offices, each equipped with an air conditioner. These public buildings are primarily government units, and the office personnel are staff members from various departments. Each air conditioner was installed with a smart controller, available in two versions, which were then connected to energy management platforms. Researchers implemented control strategies, while office staff could also control the air conditioning through remote controls. The study included one control group and five experimental groups, each with different temperature restrictions and adjustment intervals.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization done in office by a computer
Randomization Unit
individual randomization for each building
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
17 public buildings
Sample size: planned number of observations
about 470 office rooms
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
75 rooms control, 70~85 rooms for each experimental group
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Tsinghua University Science and Technology Ethics Committee
IRB Approval Date
2024-07-09
IRB Approval Number
THU-04-2024-82
Analysis Plan