Kundenportale in der Energiebranche: Bestandsaufnahme und Entwicklungspotenziale

Zusammenfassung: Seit der Liberalisierung des Energiemarktes hat der Wettbewerb unter den Energieversorgern (EVU) zugenommen. Um neue Kunden zu gewinnen und bestehende zu halten, müssen diese daher neue Services und Produkte entwickeln, die den Bedürfnissen der Kunden in hohem Masse entsprechen. Ein Online-Kundenportal kann einen solchen Service darstellen, da es zukünftig als zentrale Schnittstelle zum Kunden fungieren wird, wenn der persönliche Kontakt aufgrund eines abnehmenden regionalen Fokus der EVU und dem Wegfall des Zähler-Ablesens vor Ort durch Smart Metering abnimmt. In diesem Beitrag werden die Kriterien, die für die Gestaltung eines solches Portals relevant sind, vorgestellt. Eine Marktübersicht zeigt auf, welche dieser Kriterien bereits umgesetzt werden und wo Verbesserungspotenzials bestehen. Ein spezieller Fokus liegt auf psychologische Konzepte, die den Kunden motivieren, das Portal einerseits regelmässig zu nutzen und andererseits Energie zu sparen. Es zeigt sich, dass gerade in Bezug auf Kriterien zur Veranschaulichung des Energieverbrauches sowie bei der Ausgestaltung von psychologischen Anreizen ein enormes Verbesserungspotenzial vorhanden is

The effects of user identity and sanctions in online communities on real-world behavior

This paper describes a field study to investigate whether and to what extent individuals conserve more electricity if they have the opportunity to signal their behavior to others in the online community. Moreover, the study intends to reveal how positive social sanctions (e.g., publicly rewarding people who reduce their energy consumption) and negative social sanctions (e.g., publicly warning people who increase their consumption) cause individuals to alter both their energy demand and their time dedicated to the online community. We discuss related work on identity disclosure in online communities, on promoting sustainable behavior with information systems, and on economic theory explaining the effects of prosocial motives on behavior. The study will be conducted as field experiment using an energy efficiency portal developed by us and operated by an Austrian utility company that currently facilitates 9,899 active users out of which 1,400 will be randomly selected as study participants

Green IS Design and Energy Conservation: An Empirical Investigation of Social Normative Feedback

A combination of information systems and socio-psychological concepts holds the potential to exert a positive influence on the energy consumption of individuals. In a field study among 9,929 users, we investigate whether descriptive and injunctive normative feedback lead to significant effects on energy demand if delivered by a website have the same effects as when delivered via personal interaction as in Schultz et al.’s (2007) study, and whether both feedback types have different effects on repeated voluntary system usage. We found a similar pattern with respect to energy consumption as did Schultz et al. (2007) based on personal interaction, and no difference with respect to frequency of system usage. The findings are important for the design of information systems that utilize feedback concepts to induce a sustainable energy usage among households. Ultimately, the results support utility companies and policy makers to cost-effectively meet regulatory saving targets

IMPROVING RESIDENTIAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION AT LARGE USING PERSUASIVE SYSTEMS

The paper presents a persuasive web application that stimulates residential energy conservation. The users of the application received consumption feedback that is based on electricity meter readings which they entered over a period of 6 months and which accounted for specific household characteristics. In a large scale field study which we conducted between April and September of 2010, 6’921 participants used the application. From a research perspective, the system allowed us to experimentally assess the effects of different socio-psychological concepts with regard to different measures such as popularity, choice, and energy conservation. The large user base and the real-world setting contributed to the validity of the findings. The discussion presented is structured along a behavioural change framework we adapted from Ölander’s and J. Thøgersen’s motivation – ability – opportunity model. Besides presenting the quantitative results of multiple studies and providing theoretical cues to outline the mechanisms behind the behaviour, we formulate guidelines that support the development of similar applications in research and industry

Motivating Energy-Efficient Behavior with Green IS: An Investigation of Goal Setting and the Role of Defaults

This study investigates the role of information systems in stimulating energy-efficient behavior in private households. We present the example of Velix, a web portal designed to motivate customers of a utility company to reduce their electricity consumption. In particular, we consider the effectiveness of goal setting functionality and defaults in influencing energy conservation behavior. For this purpose, we use the web portal as a test of the theoretical propositions underlying its design. Based on data collected from a field experiment with 1,791 electricity consumers, we test hypotheses regarding the structural relations between defaults and goals, the impact of defaults and goals on consumption behavior, and the moderating role of feedback on goal choice. Our results confirm the positive impact of goal setting on energy conservation. We show that default goals lead to statistically significant savings by affecting goal choice. However, if the default goals are set too low or too high with respect to a self-set goal, the defaults will detrimentally affect behavior. We also show that feedback on goal attainment moderates the effect of default goals on goal choice. The results extend the knowledge on goal setting and defaults and have implications for the design of effective energy feedback systems. The study’s approach, which combines hypothesis-driven work and design-oriented IS research, could serve as a blueprint for further research endeavors of this kind, particularly with regard to feedback systems based on future smart metering infrastructures

Kundenportale in der Energiebranche : Bestandsaufnahme und Entwicklungspotenziale

Seit der Liberalisierung des Energiemarktes hat der Wettbewerb unter den Energieversorgern (EVU) zugenommen. Um neue Kunden zu gewinnen und bestehende zu halten, müssen diese daher neue Services und Produkte entwickeln, die den Bedürfnissen der Kunden in hohem Masse entsprechen. Ein Online-Kundenportal kann einen solchen Service darstellen, da es zukünftig als zentrale Schnittstelle zum Kunden fungieren wird, wenn der persönliche Kontakt aufgrund eines abnehmenden regionalen Fokus der EVU und dem Wegfall des Zähler-Ablesens vor Ort durch Smart Metering abnimmt. In diesem Beitrag werden die Kriterien, die für die Gestaltung eines solches Portals relevant sind, vorgestellt. Eine Marktübersicht zeigt auf, welche dieser Kriterien bereits umgesetzt werden und wo Verbesserungspotenzials bestehen. Ein spezieller Fokus liegt auf psychologische Konzepte, die den Kunden motivieren, das Portal einerseits regelmässig zu nutzen und andererseits Energie zu sparen. Es zeigt sich, dass gerade in Bezug auf Kriterien zur Veranschaulichung des Energieverbrauches sowie bei der Ausgestaltung von psychologischen Anreizen ein enormes Verbesserungspotenzial vorhanden ist

Mit Verhaltenswissenschaft zum erfolgreichen Kundenportal : Wie Velix die Vorarlberger zum Energiesparen bringt

Die Herausforderungen sind bekannt: Energiesparkampagnen sprechen lediglich einen kleinen Teil der Bevölkerung an, EVUs finden nur schwer Teilnehmer für Smart-Metering-Pilotprojekte, Online-Portale werden kaum genutzt – und dennoch kann es gelingen, Kunden für die Kontrolle ihres Energieverbrauchs zu begeistern. Allerdings braucht es dazu mehr als eine rein technisch durchdachte Lösung. Ein unkonventionelles Forschungsprojekt zeigt den möglichen Weg

How to motivate energy efficiency online

For energy conservation purposes it is not sufficient to rely on energy efficient technology, energy savings also require changes of behavior and daily routines. However, ICT can play an important role in supporting behavior change. A first step to behavior change is to actively deal with one’s energy consumption. We present an interactive online application called aWattgarde which provides customers of an Austrian utility company with insights about their electricity consumption and with suggestions on how to reduce it. Customers are incentivized for reading their electricity meters and entering the readings online on a weekly basis. In this paper, we use aWattgarde as a tool to evaluate the effects of various motivational elements on usage. The evaluation bases on usage data of almost 7’000 customers who have been using the website for six months. In our evaluation we focused on different incentive systems as well as commitment- and infotainment strategies. We found that online applications that aim at motivating energy conservation should incorporate bonus points to reward desirable action immediately, commitment features to get people into a routine and using the application regularly and in the end should provide information in a playful and interactive way