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A BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS OF PEAKING IN RESIDENTIAL ELECTRICAL‐ENERGY CONSUMERS 1
Author(s) -
Kohlenberg Robert,
Phillips Thomas,
Proctor William
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
journal of applied behavior analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.1
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1938-3703
pISSN - 0021-8855
DOI - 10.1901/jaba.1976.9-13
Subject(s) - incentive , energy consumption , behavioral analysis , consumption (sociology) , energy (signal processing) , psychology , data collection , electric potential energy , volunteer , environmental economics , operations management , business , applied psychology , engineering , electrical engineering , statistics , economics , microeconomics , ecology , social science , mathematics , sociology , biology
This study was concerned with “peaking”, which is the tendency for electrical‐energy users to consume at high rates for brief periods during the day. Peaking results in the inefficient use of generating facilities, which may lead to unfavorable effects on the environment, such as the construction of new energy producing facilities or the activation of older, less safe, generating units. A continuous data collection system to monitor consumption of electrical energy was installed in the homes of three volunteer families. Information, feedback, and incentives were evaluated for their effects on peak energy consumption. A combination of feedback plus incentives was most effective and reduced peaking about 50%. Removal of experimental treatments resulted in a return to pre‐treatment patterns of consumption.