"GOOD CAUSES" CROWDFUNDING AS A DRIVER FOR BEHAVIOURAL CHANGE IN DEMAND RESPONSE SCENARIOS

International audienceThe purpose of the CITYOPT Nice pilot project is to reduce domestic consumption during peak load hours, by engaging residents with demand response scenarios through a mobile app. This paper analyses the CITYOPT approach, suggesting that, when economic rewards are missing, a mix of educational activities, community involvement, social proof, and altruistic rewards could be a significant motivation for potential users. This study also explores possible positive consequences of crowdfunding campaigns to motivate participation and long-term engagement. Moreover, 8 other areas of improvement that could lead to higher user engagement were elicited during the research. Results imply that behaviour change considerably contributed to reducing the average energy consumption during the peak loads, and suggest that there is space for replication of the CITYOPT French pilot in other countries