Shifting Household Energy Use in Bangalore, India: Using Behaviorally Informed Energy Reports

A study of over 2,000 households in Bangalore, India, found that behaviorally informed energy reports (HERs) featuring social norm comparisons and savings recommendations led to a 7 percent decrease in average monthly energy consumption over 12 months. While the lack of a control group prevents a robust causal connection, the results contrast with a nearly 3 percent increase in per capita energy usage across the state of Karnataka during the same period. Scaling this intervention to the entire city of Bangalore could potentially save households nearly US$60 million annually and avoid emissions from 604 million kilowatts of electricity generation.

• A study involving more than 2,000 households in Bangalore, India, that received behaviorally designed household energy reports (HERs) in 2018 resulted in a 7 percent reduction in average monthly energy consumption per household over a 12-month period compared to their previous average consumption.
• Although the study lacked a control group to establish a robust causal link, the decrease in consumption among the intervention group occurred while per capita energy usage in the state of Karnataka increased by nearly 3 percent.
• If the observed energy-saving effects were confirmed and scaled to the city of Bangalore, the intervention could avoid emissions from the generation of 604 million kilowatts of electricity and save households approximately US$60 million per year compared to standard billing.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Shifting Household Energy Use in Bangalore, India: Using Behaviorally Informed Energy Reports. https://www.wri.org/research/shifting-household-energy-use-bangalore-india-using-behaviorally-informed-energy-reports

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Shifting Household Energy Use in Bangalore, India: Using Behaviorally Informed Energy Reports. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/shifting-household-energy-use-bangalore-india-using-behaviorally-informed-energy-reports.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Shifting Household Energy Use in Bangalore, India: Using Behaviorally Informed Energy Reports |url=https://www.wri.org/research/shifting-household-energy-use-bangalore-india-using-behaviorally-informed-energy-reports |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendshifting, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Shifting Household Energy Use in Bangalore, India: Using Behaviorally Informed Energy Reports}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/shifting-household-energy-use-bangalore-india-using-behaviorally-informed-energy-reports}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }