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Decreasing fuel-oil consumption through feedback and social commendation
1The Pennsylvania State University.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
|July 1, 1976
Summary
Homeowners conserved more fuel oil when informed of their usage and commended for reductions. Feedback alone did not significantly reduce fuel oil consumption during the 1973-74 energy crisis.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Science
- Energy Conservation Studies
Background:
- The 1973-74 energy crisis caused fuel oil shortages, prompting voluntary conservation efforts.
- Government initiatives encouraged oil consumers to reduce home heating fuel use.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate methods for encouraging fuel oil conservation among home consumers.
- To test the effectiveness of informational feedback and commendation in reducing energy consumption.
Main Methods:
- Randomly assigned home fuel oil consumers into three groups: informational feedback, feedback plus commendation, and a control group.
- Measured and compared fuel oil consumption rates across the experimental groups.
Main Results:
- The group receiving both feedback and commendation showed significantly lower fuel oil consumption.
- The group receiving only informational feedback did not demonstrate a significant reduction compared to the control group.
Conclusions:
- Informational feedback alone may be insufficient for achieving substantial oil conservation.
- Combining feedback with commendation can lead to significant and socially impactful savings in fuel oil consumption.
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