Información y eficiencia energética

Este nuevo paper de Jessoe y Rapson confirma algo que ya se ha comprobado también en otros entornos: que cuando se da más información a los consumidores, su reacción es más fuerte. Lo interesante es que este más fuerte sea en el sentido apropiado, claro: 3 veces más reducción de demanda cuando se les da información frecuente de precios y consumo. El abstract:

This paper presents experimental evidence that information feedback dramatically increases the price elasticity of demand in a setting where signals about quantity consumed are traditionally coarse and infrequent. In a randomized controlled trial, residential electricity customers are exposed to price increases, with some households also receiving displays that transmit high-frequency information about usage and prices. This substantially lowers information acquisition costs and allows us to identify the marginal information effect. Households only experiencing price increases reduce demand by 0 to 7 percent whereas those also exposed to information feedback exhibit a usage reduction of 8 to 22 percent, depending on the amount of advance notice. The differential response across treatments is significant and robust to the awareness of price changes. Conservation extends beyond the treatment window, providing evidence of habit formation, spillovers, and greenhouse gas abatement. Results suggest that information about the quantity consumed facilitates learning, which likely drives the treatment differential.