· 6 min read
Energy efficiency has long been recognized as the “first fuel”—the cleanest, cheapest, and most abundant energy resource we have. It helps avoid the cost and emissions of new generation while improving comfort, productivity, and reliability. But unlocking its full potential requires more than just efficient technology. It also demands that people change how they use energy.
While the majority of energy efficiency programs around the world have traditionally focused on technological interventions, there is a growing body of evidence showing that behavioral change is a critical, and often underutilized, component of success (World Bank, 2014).
The human factor in energy efficiency
The term “behavior change” covers a wide range of activities and interventions that target individual, community, and environmental influences on energy-related decision-making. These may include:
• Promoting energy-saving habits (e.g. turning off lights)
• Encouraging equipment upgrades (e.g. choosing ENERGY STAR appliances)
• Adopting smarter scheduling (e.g. shifting EV charging to off-peak hours)
In many cases, behavioral programs complement technical ones, making the latter more effective and less costly. Research suggests that without behavioral engagement, even the best technologies underperform in the real world.
A U.S. campaign, “Saving Energy Saves You Money,” is illustrative. Between 2011 and 2012, surveys found that more people were:
• Buying ENERGY STAR appliances (increasing from 53% to 60%)
• Adding insulation to their homes (from 24% to 28%)
• Conducting home energy audits (from 18% to 21%)
Why practices matter more than choices
Conventional energy programs often assume that people make decisions as isolated individuals. But more recent social science research tells us otherwise.
According to theorist Elizabeth Shove, what people do—how they use heating, lighting, appliances, or vehicles—is shaped by social practices, not just individual behavior. These practices are embedded in cultural routines, institutional expectations, physical infrastructure, and shared norms. Changing them means engaging with all of these dimensions (Shove, 2021).
One implication is that policies must target systems and communities, not just individuals. That means involving:
• Technology developers
• Cultural role models
• Schools, employers, and local institutions
• Urban planners and utilities
Only by treating energy use as a social practice—not just a technical or economic act—can we create durable change.
Behavioral efficiency potential: Case study from Ireland
Ireland offers a compelling quantitative snapshot of what’s at stake. A 2018 analysis by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) assessed potential energy savings across sectors if both technical and behavioral measures were adopted by 2020. The study found that behavioral changes could account for approximately 6.5 TWh of energy savings—a full 5% of the country’s total energy consumption in 2015.
These savings were not limited to households. In fact, significant behavioral potential was identified in transport, commercial buildings, and even the public sector.
Figure: Potential Energy Savings in Ireland from Technical and Behavioral Measures (TWh)
(Source: SEAI, 2018 — https://www.seai.ie/publications/Behavioural-Insights-Paper.pdf)
Beyond efficiency: The new role of consumers in the grid
In today’s energy landscape, consumers are no longer just consumers. Increasingly, they are prosumers—people who generate, store, and manage their own electricity.
• Rooftop solar allows households to produce power
• Electric vehicles (EVs) and home batteries enable flexible storage
• Smart meters, time-of-use tariffs, and real-time feedback make it easier to optimize use
This transition makes behavior not just a lever for efficiency, but a driver of system resilience. For instance:
• EVs equipped with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) tech can discharge power back to the grid during peak demand, acting as mobile batteries (Virta, 2023)
• Shifting energy-intensive activities like laundry or charging to off-peak hours can reduce grid strain by 10–20% during peak events (ScienceDirect, 2024)
Without these behavioral adjustments, the grid would need massive overbuilding just to meet a few high-demand hours.
Community-scale change: Energy communities and microgrids
Some of the most promising behavioral models come not from individual homes, but from collective action.
In Chile, a Global Environment Facility (GEF) project helped promote nonmotorized transport through:
• Grassroots partnerships
• School bicycle safety training
• Publicity campaigns portraying bicycles as desirable
These combined efforts increased bicycle use by 12% in spring and 23% in winter (GEF, 2009).
In Switzerland, the Quartierstrom project enabled residents to trade rooftop solar power within their neighborhood using blockchain. This local energy market nudged participants to better align usage with supply (ETH Zurich, 2020).
In California, the Blue Lake Rancheria tribe built a solar + battery microgrid, achieving full energy independence and powering critical services during wildfires. Community engagement was key to system design and behavior (Schatz Energy Center, 2020).
Designing for change: Infrastructure and nudges
Changing energy use behaviors isn’t just about telling people what to do. It’s about designing systems that make better choices easier.
Examples of “nudges” and infrastructure that support energy behavior include:
• Time-of-use pricing: shifting cost signals to match renewable supply
• Smart thermostats: learning user habits and optimizing comfort
• Real-time feedback: showing users their usage in meaningful, comparative ways
• Appliance automation: integrating behavior into design (e.g. EVs defaulting to off-peak charging)
Governments, utilities, and city planners must now ask: What habits are we building into our infrastructure? Because every device deployed today shapes tomorrow’s behavior.
Conclusion: Behavior as energy infrastructure
Behavioral change is not a soft side strategy—it’s a core pillar of a clean, flexible, and equitable energy future. From improving efficiency in homes to flattening grid peaks, to unlocking the full value of solar and EVs, behavior is increasingly functioning as invisible infrastructure.
But seizing this potential requires:
• Reframing energy use as a social practice, not just personal choice
• Supporting community-led and localized solutions
• Investing in smart tools and behavioral design
• Embedding behavioral metrics into policy, not just engineering models
In the end, technology may power the transition—but it’s people who will drive it.
illuminem is proud to partner with Africa Sustainable Energy Center (ASEC) to amplify the voices leading Africa’s transition to clean, sustainable and affordable energy. illuminem Voices is a democratic space presenting the thoughts and opinions of leading Sustainability & Energy writers, their opinions do not necessarily represent those of illuminem.
Sources:
1. World Bank (2014). Integrating Behavior Change in Energy Efficiency Programs. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/0de2cf3d-55ce-5711-bf0e-a038d6ce66f9/content
2. Elizabeth Shove (2021). Social Theory and Energy Consumption. https://www.buildingsandcities.org/insights/research-pathways/social-theory-energy.html
3. Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (2018). Behavioural Insights Paper. https://www.seai.ie/publications/Behavioural-Insights-Paper.pdf
4. Virta (2023). Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G): Everything You Need to Know. https://www.virta.global/vehicle-to-grid-v2g
5. ScienceDirect (2024). Do Time-of-Use Prices Deliver Energy Savings at the Right Time? https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0095069624001281
6. GEF IEO (2009). Sustainable Transport in Santiago: Terminal Evaluation. https://www.gefieo.org/sites/default/files/documents/projects/tes/1349-terminal-evaluation.pdf
7. ETH Zurich (2020). Give and Take in a Local Electricity Market. https://ethz.ch/en/industry/industry/news/data/2020/08/give-and-take-in-a-local-electricity-market.html
8. Schatz Energy Research Center (2020). Blue Lake Rancheria Microgrid. https://schatzcenter.org/blrmicrogrid/
