Individual energy use and feedback in an office setting: A field trial

TLDR

Little is known about individual office energy use despite UK smart‑meter rollout plans. The study aimed to assess how individual feedback influences desk‑level energy use and its link to personal determinants. A field trial monitored 83 university office workers, collecting pre‑ and post‑intervention surveys, energy measurements, and providing 18‑week feedback, supplemented by focus groups. Energy use fell significantly during the trial, yet the effect waned over time, with no personal variables predicting reduction except attitudes, and a clear lack of motivation to act.

Abstract

Despite national plans to deploy smart meters in small and medium businesses in the UK, there is little knowledge of occupant energy use in offices. The objectives of the study were to investigate the effect of individual feedback on energy use at the workdesk, and to test the relationship between individual determinants, energy use and energy reduction. A field trial is presented, which monitored occupant energy use and provided individual feedback to 83 office workers in a university. The trial comprised pre- and post-intervention surveys, energy measurement and provision of feedback for 18 weeks post-baseline, and two participant focus groups. The main findings were: statistically significant energy reduction was found, but not for the entire measurement period; engagement with feedback diminished over time; no measured individual variables were related to energy reduction and only attitudes to energy conservation were related to energy use; an absence of motivation to undertake energy reduction actions was in evidence. The implications for energy use in offices are considered, including the need for motivations beyond energy reduction to be harnessed to realise the clear potential for reduced energy use at workdesks.