Peer pressure, saving money, and real-time feedback — these are the three main  techniques that are being explored today to help motivate homeowners to use less energy.

Companies like Opower (below) are using peer pressure to change people’s behavior by sending utility bills comparing them to neighbors that are similar in lifestyle.  This type of “friendly competition” can be a good motivator for many people.

Wattbot is all about saving money.  It takes a homeowner’s address and runs it through a recommendation engine, giving personalized advice on which energy-saving technologies are the most cost-effective ways to save money over the years remaining in your home.

And then there’s Google PowerMeter, which is teaming up with utilities and monitoring devices to display real-time electric usage information.  This type of feedback can also motivate people to explore ways to reduce their energy consumption. 

Which technique is the most effective?  Last fall when IDEO surveyed experts in energy efficiency and assessed the relationships and networks of the DOE-EERE they found that people have diverse reasons for conserving energy.  They said,

“Certainly rising energy costs encourage people to change their behavior; however, economics alone are inadequate for shifting people’s behavior on a mass scale. While concern for the environment or threat from global warming motivates some people, it is irrelevant, even a turn-off, for others.”

So the verdict is still out on which technique will motivate the most people to take action.  We’re happy there are companies out there trying all three, because the answer will most likely be some combination.