the smart metering on energy use as well as normative information, this ensured salience to the relevant energy behaviour. The participants were drawn from a higher education organisation, made up of predominantly lecturers, researchers and students. The department was chosen based on availability and access. The larger project (Murtagh et al 2013) applied an opt-out policy to recruit participants for the project as literature indicated that this was most effective: participants were provided with smart metering equipment and included in the project unless they identified to the project team that they did not want to participate. The project had a benchmark and intervention period as seen in Figure 2. The figure also identifies at what stages surveys and interviews were conducted. Surveys were conducted primarily to pick up on factors identified in Rimal and Real 2005 and social norms. Most studies that look to measure social norms in organisational energy study contexts apply the survey approach as seen in section 1. Three surveys were deployed (paper and online formats via email) and interviews. Interviews were carried out with the aim of understanding and exploring participants’ experience of the intervention; explore the social context; and to gain insight and depth on social construction and social comparisons occurring during the intervention. Interviews participants were requested via email but conducted in person. Figure 2: A timeline of activities for the study The benchmark and the intervention lasted 7 months. After the benchmark data collection, the MyEcofootprint feedback was provided to each participant to provide them with energy information on 12.06.12. The energy feedback information from MEF was available for the four
the smart metering on energy use as well as normative information, this ensured salience to the relevant energy behaviour. The participants were drawn from a higher education organisation, made up of predominantly lecturers, researchers and students. The department was chosen based on availability and access. The larger project (Murtagh et al 2013) applied an opt-out policy to recruit participants for the project as literature indicated that this was most effective: participants were provided with smart metering equipment and included in the project unless they identified to the project team that they did not want to participate. The project had a benchmark and intervention period as seen in Figure 2. The figure also identifies at what stages surveys and interviews were conducted. Surveys were conducted primarily to pick up on factors identified in Rimal and Real 2005 and social norms. Most studies that look to measure social norms in organisational energy study contexts apply the survey approach as seen in section 1. Three surveys were deployed (paper and online formats via email) and interviews. Interviews were carried out with the aim of understanding and exploring participants’ experience of the intervention; explore the social context; and to gain insight and depth on social construction and social comparisons occurring during the intervention. Interviews participants were requested via email but conducted in person. Figure 2: A timeline of activities for the study The benchmark and the intervention lasted 7 months. After the benchmark data collection, the MyEcofootprint feedback was provided to each participant to provide them with energy information on 12.06.12. The energy feedback information from MEF was available for the four
Bradley_et_al_2013_accepted_repository.docx