I. Barrier: A failure to communicate

The language of energy efficiency can be hard to translate. Quick! What’s an average megawatt? Do you know what a ton of greenhouse gas looks like?

For many of us, the merits of energy efficiency can be hard to put into plain English. For example, a recent utility press release announced its conservation programs helped customers “reduce their carbon footprint by 450 million pounds of carbon dioxide annually” saving a “combined 274 million kilowatt-hours of electricity and 3.7 million therms of natural gas.” Big numbers, for sure, but what do they mean?

On a smaller scale, utility bills don’t provide a lot of useful information on energy use. Some use simple bar charts that compare this year’s energy use to last year’s, but say nothing about whether we are wasting or saving energy. And they all rely on the language of energy experts—kilowatt-hours and therms and heating degree days. It’s a language most energy users don’t speak, and it’s a lost opportunity to make the case for energy efficiency.

It’s hard to see, touch or feel energy efficiency. Just as nettlesome as the graph that tells too little about efficiency or the obtuse terminology is the sheer invisibility of energy-saving actions. Saving energy doesn’t require the usual trappings of the energy industry like dams, turbines and transmission lines. It doesn’t have the iconic wind turbine or solar panel to “brand” energy efficiency as a clean energy solution and capture the public imagination. It lacks the conspicuousness of a shiny new Prius parked in the driveway.

Efficiency does have the ubiquitous compact fluorescent “twisty” light bulb, of course, but that lonely symbol may actually hinder the cause by suggesting that it’s the only path to saving energy.

Too often the images, words, concepts and feedback mechanisms we use to promote energy savings don’t motivate people to take action.

The Solution: Motivate with ideas from real life

Tell the Northwest story. Many people don’t know that thanks to energy efficiency investments, each of us in the Northwest saves $125 each year, which totals $1.6 billion across the region. That’s money we can spend on something else – or save!

Tie saving energy to Northwest values. Efficiency is close to the heart. Like most Americans, we like bargains and we don’t like to waste money. Research shows that, more than most Americans, Northwesterners value the health and beauty of the natural environment and we take pride in being leaders and innovators. Saving energy embodies these values; conveying it in plain terms can help move people to action.

For example, Energy Trust of Oregon, which helps property owners pay for efficiency projects, uses so-called values-based messaging in its marketing. A fact sheet describing a home weatherization project for a Lake Oswego family with an infant talks not about details of insulation and energy savings, but on results a little closer to the heart: “a healthy baby, cozy comfort and welcomed savings on their heating bills.”

Make the strange familiar. Drop jargon and unfamiliar technical terms in favor of understandable language that connects with the audience. For instance, research shows that many people aren’t familiar with the terms “CFL” or compact fluorescent lights even though many have them in their homes. They refer to these light bulbs as “twisty” or “swirly” bulbs.

Make feedback meaningful. When people get useful feedback about their energy consumption, they tend to pay attention.

That utility bill usage chart? Several utilities, including Puget Sound Energy, are trying a program that takes it a step further, providing customers with energy “report cards” comparing energy use to that of similar but unnamed neighbors. This taps into a strong American tradition: keeping up with the Joneses. If energy use is higher than the neighbors, the customer gets tailored energy saving advice. If energy use is lower than average, they get a star or a smiley face. Early results are showing 2% to 3% savings on average.

Some California efficiency programs have shown that glowing orbs in a home or business that change color with the level of energy use give effective visual cues. Energy Trust of Oregon and some regional utilities have seen promising results from pilot programs testing electronic monitors that give customers real-time information on their energy use.

Figure out what—and who—moves people. Some people are inspired to act by what they might gain; more comfort, more money, more valuable real estate. Others—lots of people, according to fresh market research—are motivated more by what they might lose than by potential gains. A common “aha moment” for people investing in efficiency goes like this: “As soon as I realized $200 a month was leaking through the skimpy insulation in the attic, I fixed the problem.”

Use sources people trust. Regardless of what motivates them, people are most persuaded by people and institutions they trust. The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA), a partnership of utilities, governments and public-interest groups, found the best way to communicate energy efficiency to the region’s largest commercial office landlords was through their own trade organization. NEEA joined with the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) to conduct an energy efficiency training program. The message connected, making the program one of BOMA’s most popular ever. BOMA says it is on target to reach 2,000 landlords with the potential to cut energy use by 10 % and costs by $400 million over the next three years.

An energy efficiency lending program called Green Street Lending, co-sponsored by Umpqua Bank and Energy Trust of Oregon, relies heavily on trade professionals with established business relationships to refer prospective borrowers. Businesses learn about the availability of financing from the people who service their HVAC equipment or lighting systems, often just at the right time when they need to upgrade outdated systems.

Different audiences respond to different messages. Utilities doing market segmentation studies are finding that one size does not fit all when it comes to promoting energy efficiency. For example, Puget Sound Energy found that about a third of its residential customers respond to messages about climate protection and the environment; an equal number are turned off by the “green” message, but respond much more favorably to pocketbook messages.

In making the case for energy efficiency to political leaders and labor, the most compelling messages are economic benefits like local, good paying jobs. Who wouldn’t be convinced by that message when learning, for example, that Oregon’s clean energy tax incentives, in addition to saving energy, created more than $616 million in investments and wages and more than 1,700 jobs in two years?

Practice conspicuous conservation. Find ways to make efficiency visible, even conspicuous! The Energy Star logo has become an effective marker for the efficiency “brand.” Washington’s construction industry has developed the “Built Green” label, with a significant energy efficiency component, as an effective tool for showing off sustainable practices. Household and business participants in the Corvallis, Oregon, 2008 Energy Challenge showed their support for saving energy with yard signs.

Respect human nature. Energy planners estimate we can increase energy savings by as much as 25% through individual behavior changes, from buying decisions to consumption habits.

But to get there, we have to be realistic about human nature. The way people really behave in relation to saving energy – not just how we want them to behave – is important. Research tells us that people don’t generally calculate the costs and benefits of energy when living their lives. Instead, they rely on what’s familiar and convenient. We are also influenced by what’s trendy and by what our peers and neighbors are doing. So, to get more of us to be energy champions—whether we’re creating a utility incentive program or selling Energy Star TVs—we need to go beyond the financial benefits and push other buttons like the desire to belong (Everyone’s doing it!) and the quest for convenience (Turn off the whole room with a single power strip!).