Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
J Appl Behav Anal. 1982 Fall;15(3):381-402. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1982.15-381.
Two studies were conducted in all-electric townhouses and apartments in the winter (N = 83) and summer (N = 54) to ascertain how energy conservation strategies focusing on thermostat change and set-backs and other low-cost/no-cost approaches would affect overall electricity use and electricity used for heating and cooling, the home thermal environment, the perceived comfort of participants, and clothing that was worn. The studies assessed the effectiveness of videotape modeling programs that demonstrated these conservation strategies when used alone or combined with daily feedback on electricity use. In the winter, the results indicated that videotape modeling and/or feedback were effective relative to baseline and to a control group in reducing overall electricity use by about 15% and electricity used for heating by about 25%. Hygrothermographs, which accurately and continuously recorded temperature and humidity in the homes, indicated that participants were able to live with no reported loss in comfort and no change in attire at a mean temperature of about 62 degrees F when home and about 59 degrees F when asleep. The results were highly discrepant with prior laboratory studies indicating comfort at 75 degrees F with the insulation value of the clothing worn by participants in this study. In the summer, a combination of strategies designed to keep a home cool with minimal or no air conditioning, in conjunction with videotape modeling and/or daily feedback, resulted in overall electricity reductions of about 15% with reductions on electricity for cooling of about 34%, but with feedback, and feedback and modeling more effective than modeling alone. Despite these electricity savings, hygrothermograph recordings indicated minimal temperature change in the homes, with no change in perceived comfort or clothing worn. The results are discussed in terms of discrepancies with laboratory studies, optimal combinations of video-media and personal contact to promote behavior change, and energy policies that may be mislabeled as sacrificial and underestimate the effectiveness of conservation strategies such as those investigated in these studies.
两项研究分别在全电动城镇住宅和公寓楼的冬季（N=83）和夏季（N=54）进行，以确定侧重于恒温器改变和设置后退以及其他低成本/无成本方法的节能策略如何影响整体用电量以及用于供暖和制冷的电量、家庭热环境、参与者的感知舒适度以及所穿的衣服。这些研究评估了录像模型示范这些节能策略的有效性，无论是单独使用还是与每日用电量反馈结合使用。在冬季，结果表明，录像模型和/或反馈相对于基线和对照组在减少整体用电量方面非常有效，减少了约 15%，用于供暖的电量减少了约 25%。湿度计准确且连续地记录了家庭中的温度和湿度，表明参与者能够在没有报告舒适度降低且着装没有变化的情况下生活，平均室温约为 62 华氏度，在家时约为 59 华氏度，睡觉时。这些结果与之前的实验室研究结果高度不一致，之前的实验室研究表明，在参与者穿着的衣服的绝缘值为 75 华氏度时感到舒适。在夏季，采用了一系列旨在以最小或不使用空调保持家庭凉爽的策略，结合录像模型和/或每日反馈，整体用电量减少了约 15%，用于冷却的电量减少了约 34%，但有反馈，且反馈和模型比模型单独使用更有效。尽管有这些节电效果，但湿度计记录表明家庭温度变化很小，舒适度和所穿衣服没有变化。这些结果是根据与实验室研究的差异、促进行为改变的视频媒体和个人联系的最佳组合以及可能被错误标记为牺牲和低估这些研究中调查的节能策略有效性的能源政策进行讨论的。
