Does Nudging Help in the crisis?: Behavioral economic measures for freedom-preserving energy conservation

Instead of saving, they try to regain their restricted freedom. Energy-saving behavior could be better promoted with less freedom-restricting, behavior-economic measures. One approach to solving this problem is nudging. Nudges guide human behavior and individual choices in a desired direction through minimally invasive, non-financial interventions without restricting freedom of choice. The analyzed nudges of Feedback, Commitment and Goal Setting, Gamification, Social Comparison and Default Changes show potential savings in energy and gas consumption of 4 to 20 percent - depending on the design of the measures. Gamification and social comparison processes are particularly effective in combination with feedback. The playful component ensures that saving energy is no longer (just) a moral obligation but can also be fun. In addition, a clever combination of measures can save a 4-person household an average of up to 1,000 euros a year at the current price level for electricity and gas.