Opower Home Energy Reports

Summary

Telling households how their energy use compared to similar neighbors—and providing a simple smiley face showing whether they were above or below average—produced a consistent, durable 2% reduction in consumption across 12 utilities and 600,000 households. The effect is modest in absolute terms but highly cost-effective and replicates reliably across contexts. The 'neighbor comparison' mechanism has since been applied to water, waste, and other resource consumption domains.

Research question

"Can social comparison home energy reports reduce household electricity consumption?"

Methodology

Result

Positive

−2.0% electricity consumption; effect equivalent to 11–20% temporary price increase

Evidence strength

Strong

Randomized trial, replicated across multiple sites or studies.

Replication status

Replicated