This study, published in the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management (2024), examines the effectiveness of non-price information interventions on household electricity consumption in a developing-country setting. Using a large-scale randomized controlled trial in Bangladesh, the authors test three distinct non-price energy conservation strategies: expert advice on electricity conservation methods, information on households’ own electricity use relative to neighbors, and information on use relative to the median household in the same suburb. The results reveal that providing tailored advice on energy conservation significantly reduces household electricity consumption and bills, with stronger effects than social comparison treatments. Notably, repeated information over time leads to increasingly larger reductions, especially among households with initially inefficient usage. The findings provide robust causal evidence on the potential of low-cost, non-price interventions to improve energy efficiency and inform policy design in low- and middle-income countries.
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeem.2024.103022