10.2190/E2LK-BD8M-9YYW-VK4B E2LKBD8M9YYWVK4B 4 The Effects of Monetary Rebates and Daily Feedback on Electricity Conservation 329 341 20020509 20020509 20020509 20020509 E2LKBD8M9YYWVK4B.pdf http://baywood.metapress.com/link.asp?target=contribution&id=E2LKBD8M9YYWVK4B 4 Richard A. Winett Stephen Kaiser Gerald Haberkorn University of Kentucky The purpose of this study was to continue investigations of practical, inexpensive methods to promote residential electricity conservation. Following a one week baseline period, six experimental apartments were placed on a graduated rebate system for one week where reductions in electricity use earned participants money. Six apartments served as untreated controls for the remainder of the study. In the following week, half the experimental apartments only received daily written feedback on their electricity use compared to their baseline level and the daily use of control apartments, while the other three apartments were placed on a half payment rebate system. For the next four weeks, all six experimental apartments only received daily written feedback. Relative to the control apartments, the full rebate system yielded a 30 per cent reduction in electricity use while the half rebate and feedback systems yielded 15 per cent. These results were variable across apartments and days. Feedback tended to be less effective on warm days when central air conditioning units were in frequent use. The results of the study were seen as pointing toward the development and evaluation of feedback devices on cooling and heating units. M. A. Tuso and E. S. Geller, Behavior Analysis Applied for Ecological Rebalance: A Review, <i>Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis</i>, in press. R. A. Winett and M. T. Nietzel, Behavioral Ecology: Contingency Management of Consumer Energy Use, <i>American Journal of Community Psychology, 3</i>, pp. 123-133, 1975. S. C. Hayes and J. D. Cone, Reducing Residential Electricity Use: Payments, Information, and Feedback, <i>Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis</i>, in press. M. H. Palmer, M. E. Lloyd and K. E. Lloyd, An Experimental Analysis of Electricity Conservation Procedures, <i>Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis</i>, in press. W. B. Seaver and A. H. Patterson, Decreasing Fuel Oil Consumption Through Feedback and Social Communication, <i>Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 9</i>, pp. 147-152, 1976. J. H. Kagel, R. C. Battalio, R. A. Winett and R. C. Winkler, The Effects of Monetary Rebates, Feedback, and Information on Residential Electricity Conservation. Study submitted for publication, Texas A & M University, 1976. J. H. Kagel and R. C. Winkler, Behavioral Economics: Areas of Cooperative Research Between Economics and Applied Behavior Analysis, <i>Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 5</i>, pp. 335-341, 1972. R. A. Winett, Environmental Problems, Chapter in M. T. Nietzel, R. A. Winett, M. MacDonald and W. Davidson, <i>Behavioral Approaches to Community Problems</i>, Elmsford, N. Y., 1976, in press. R. Kohlenberg, T. Phillips and W. Proctor, A Behavioral Analysis of Peaking in Residential Electricity Energy Consumers, <i>Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 9</i>, pp. 13-18, 1976.