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Fields Changed

Registration

Field Before After
Study Withdrawn No
Intervention Completion Date May 31, 2018
Data Collection Complete Yes
Final Sample Size: Number of Clusters (Unit of Randomization) 124 suites
Was attrition correlated with treatment status? No
Final Sample Size: Total Number of Observations 320 rooms
Final Sample Size (or Number of Clusters) by Treatment Arms 42 suites in control, 44 in treatment A, and 38 in treatment B
Public Data URL https://1drv.ms/f/s!AlTdEpDOFVTAhPgCEVDCRHbgKLzauQ
Is there a restricted access data set available on request? No
Program Files Yes
Program Files URL https://github.com/mateusnmsouza/campus_energy/tree/master/MyersSouza_DataAndCode
Data Collection Completion Date May 31, 2018
Is data available for public use? Yes
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Papers

Field Before After
Paper Abstract We explore the mechanisms driving the effectiveness of a widely-used behavioral intervention that reduces energy consumption by repeatedly mailing social comparison-based home energy reports (HERs) to households. With a randomized controlled trial, we introduce HERs in a college residence, where tenants do not pay energy bills. Our results indicate that HERs induced almost no behavioral changes for heating demand, with precise estimates that allow us to rule out thermostat changes greater than 0.36 °F. To the extent that our findings can be extrapolated to other non-dormitory residential contexts, this suggests that behavioral channels, such as competitiveness, social norms, or moral suasion, may not motivate conservation in the absence of direct monetary incentives.
Paper Citation Myers, Erica, and Mateus Souza. "Social comparison nudges without monetary incentives: Evidence from home energy reports." Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 101 (2020): 102315.
Paper URL https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2020.102315
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