Special workshop on reducing energy demand with behaviour and awareness campaigns

With the intense focus on energy security, affordability and climate goals, programmes to reduce consumer energy demand through behavioural interventions are an increasingly important tool for policymakers. Such initiatives represent some of the lowest-cost and quickly realisable energy savings available to governments.

On 28 September 2022 the IEA Energy Efficiency Division hosted a workshop on best practice in behaviour and awareness campaigns for energy demand reduction.

09:30-11:00: Campaigns in response to energy crises

What is the value of awareness campaigns and how are they being and implemented in response to energy crises, to deliver energy demand reductions in the very short term? This session will look at government responses to past and current energy crises, examining the challenges encountered and best practice in design.

Chair: Abla Hanna (Office of Energy Efficiency, Natural Resources Canada)

• Opening remarks, Brian Motherway (Head of Energy Efficiency, IEA)
• Historic responses to energy crises: Japanese Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry: response to 2022 earthquake; Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy: behavioural responses in Korea; Brazilian Ministry of Mines and Energy; response to hydro crises
• Current awareness campaigns for energy efficiency and demand reduction: Danish Energy Agency (sparenergi.dk); Ireland Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (Reduce your Use); Netherlands Ministry of Economics and Climate (Flip the Switch); ENEA Italy (Italia in Classe A)
• Empowering People to Act: Best practice in awareness and behaviour campaigns – Kristina Klimovich (Energy Efficiency Hub)
• Discussion and Q&A

11:20-12:50: Best practice in behaviour change and awareness programmes

Building upon the previous session, how can governments best design and implement behavioural campaigns and wider behaviour-change policies to encourage consumer energy demand reduction? What kind of behavioural policies have worked in the past, and what is the role of digital technologies in facilitating these?

Chair: David Shipworth (Users TCP and University College London)

• The Behaviouralist (Jesper Åkesson: Behavioural Insights platform
• NUDGE Project (Filippos Anagnostopoulos): Policy insights from the NUDGE project
• Alliance for an Energy Efficient Economy (AEEE) (Simrat Kaur): Run@24 appliance temperature setpoint programme
• Opower (Mary Sprayregen): Behavioural Insights and Home Energy Reports
• Users TCP (Dr Sea Rotman): Hard-to-reach users and public engagement

13:00-13:30: Closing session

• Closing keynote: Anthony Leiserowitz, Director, Yale Program on Climate Change Communication
• Closing remarks: Abla Hanna (Office of Energy Efficiency, Natural Resources Canada)

The workshop will be held in English. It will be livestreamed on this page and the IEA Youtube channel, and a recording will remain available in both places afterwards.

Slides from each of the three sessions are available for download below