Feedback for Energy Efficiency

Last week I attended a workshop at Stanford sponsored by the Precourt Institute for Energy Efficiency. One of the more frequent topics presented was methods of providing feedback, which reflects the Vision component of the coproduction experience model. Numerous presenters discussed their systems and pilot test results. These included:

• Positive Energy
• Green Box Technology
• IDEO
• Widefield Technology
• Echelon
• General Electric Energy
• Itron

The competing ideas and solutions had similar characteristics: rich graphic design, layered/elaborated information, normalized comparisions ($, kWh, C02, MPG, and so on), and expert advice on how a household could become more energy efficient. However, there wasn't any discussion on the cost of these solutions, which is important since customers will ultimately pay for these services. The key question is whether these information services provide customers a reasonable ROI.