Paving the Way for a Richer Mix of Residential Behavior Programs

Recent research suggests that behavior programs the California utilities currently offer use only one of many possible strategies for influencing residential energyrelated behaviors. This paper was commissioned to identify behavior change intervention options for addressing behaviors inherently part of California’s broad set of programs and are grounded in social science research. The paper provides three types of reference materials: a typology of residential energy-related behaviors that programs might aim to influence, a summary of social science theories relevant to consumer energy-related behavior, and a set of promising behavior intervention strategies for consideration in next-generation programs. It also provides examples of how theory, interventions, and behavior change can be integrated in different programs. The paper concludes with recommendations for next steps in developing residential behavior program policy and designs.