[LUM#19] Game-Changing Data

[LUM Magazine, Podcast] - Published on July 13, 2023 in Science and Society

While the term “sobriety” is on everyone’s lips, researchers from the HUT—Human at Home—are focusing on providing users with clearer insights into their consumption data to foster more sustainable behaviors over the long term. Following an initial phase conducted in a pilot apartment, a second phase is being prepared on a community-wide scale.

Driven by both environmental awareness and economic necessity, more and more users are turning to energy-monitoring apps. “Often managed by energy providers, utility bills don’t always allow users to fully understand their energy consumption or to adopt more sustainable habits over time,” explains Anne-Sophie Cases, a marketing researcher at Montpellier Research in Management* and coordinator of the Human at Home (HUT) project.

Co-developing a model

For four years, a multidisciplinary team of researchers was able to work with data collected in an observatory apartment equipped with numerous sensors and inhabited by a pair of students known as “cohuters” (HUT: Toward a Human and Smart Living Environment). “Our initial goal was to work with them to co-develop a feedback model that would allow them to measure the gap between their perception and their actual consumption,” the researcher continues. To achieve this goal, the researchers and cohuters opted for a monthly newsletter designed to look like a floor plan of the apartment, with consumption figures listed for each area. “The idea was to provide a highly visual format while avoiding graphs or diagrams, which ultimately have little impact on changing behavior.”

Another request from the participants: to be able to contextualize their consumption not only over time but also within a social norm by providing points of comparison. “ Sending data just for the sake of data is pointless! It needs to be explained, ” says the HUT project coordinator . “The participants were waiting for us to tell them whether their consumption was higher than average, or whether they had made progress compared to the previous month—using emojis or smileys, for example.”

Collective Anchoring

HUT will soon enter the second phase of the project. This time, the focus will no longer be on connected “observatory” apartments, but rather on forming a cohort of student volunteers to participate in research programs. This approach would be a first in France. “We’re going to assemble this community of testers, which could include about fifty students, and we’re also planning to work with the CROUS,” explains Anne-Sophie Cases.

An opportunity to explore collective energy management strategies to anticipate potential load shedding measures, which Enedis has been mentioning with increasing frequency. “Our hypothesis is that by informing users that a peak is about to occur, some will collectively agree to unplug their devices—because they can—to avoid an unpredictable power outage imposed on everyone,” explains the researcher. This collective dimension can help embed these positive behaviors over the long term. “Individual actions are important but can be discouraging, whereas collective action engages people, provides structure, and yields visible results. It’s a fact: the energy issue is a collective challenge, ” concludes Anne-Sophie Cases.

* MRM (UM, UPVD)

Keywords: Ecology, Economy, Energy, Environment, LUM#19, LumLu, LUM Magazine, HUT Project, Research, Company