The effect of providing monetary information on energy savings for household appliances: a field trial in Spain

The study used a field trial with 26 small retailers in Spain to test three treatments: a monetary label (ML), trained sales staff, or a combination of both. Results showed that the effectiveness of monetary information varies by appliance: MLs increased A+++ washing machine purchases, while sales staff (alone or combined with MLs) increased A+++ fridge purchases. No significant effect was found for dishwashers.

• For washing machines, the use of a monetary label (Treatment 1) increased the probability of consumers purchasing a high energy-efficient A+++ model by 3.16% compared to the control group.
• In the case of fridges, both the provision of monetary information by sales staff (Treatment 2) and the combination of sales staff and monetary labels (Treatment 3) significantly increased the probability of purchasing A+++ models.
• For fridges, providing monetary information through sales staff alone (Treatment 2) was more effective than the combined approach of labels and staff (Treatment 3) by 11.5%.
• No treatment was found to be statistically significant in promoting the purchase of high energy-efficient dishwashers.
• The study suggests a 'tiredness effect' among retailers, where the effectiveness of interventions decreased over the six-month trial as staff may have grown tired of the required interaction methods.
• Socio-demographic factors influenced purchases: consumers aged 30-45 were less likely to invest in A+++ fridges, and those over 60 were less likely to buy high energy-efficient dishwashers.
• For washing machines, higher income was associated with a higher probability of purchasing an A+++ model when the combined treatment of labels and staff training (Treatment 3) was applied.

APA

Solà, M. D. M., de Ayala, A., & Galarraga, I. (2020). The effect of providing monetary information on energy savings for household appliances: a field trial in Spain. Basque Centre for Climate Change. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/202010230146191307555145.pdf

Chicago

Solà, María del Mar, Amaia de Ayala, and Ibon Galarraga. The effect of providing monetary information on energy savings for household appliances: a field trial in Spain. Basque Centre for Climate Change, 2020. https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/202010230146191307555145.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Solà |first1=María del Mar |last2=de Ayala |first2=Amaia |last3=Galarraga |first3=Ibon |title=The effect of providing monetary information on energy savings for household appliances: a field trial in Spain |publisher=Basque Centre for Climate Change |date=October 2020 |url=https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/202010230146191307555145.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sol2020effect, author = {Solà, María del Mar and de Ayala, Amaia and Galarraga, Ibon}, title = {{The effect of providing monetary information on energy savings for household appliances: a field trial in Spain}}, institution = {Basque Centre for Climate Change}, year = {2020}, month = oct, url = {https://www.bc3research.org/h6T8Uy8Nm4gFs0O/202010230146191307555145.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }