A JouleBug screen.
Let’s face it: The whole concept of energy savings and energy efficiency seems arduous and mundane. The big challenge is to make energy efficiency not only invisible andautomatic—but fun.
But is fun actually possible with energy efficiency?
Enter JouleBug, a new iPhone app that encourages energy-saving habits through friendly competition. JouleBug bills itself as a reality-based, casually-social game that rewards users with points, pins and badges for learning and practicing energy-saving habits in their day-to-day lives.
Users can link JouleBug to their Facebook and Twitter accounts to share and play with friends.
Players can also link the game to their power company account; JouleBug will create a graph showing energy-savings over time, making the individual benefit of good energy habits clear.
Don’t laugh. Energy monitoring systems such as the eMonitor from Powerhouse Dynamics now feature Facebook options. On the surface. sharing your energy usage info on Facebook and Twitter may not seem like a lot of fun, but there is definitely something to this.
Energy efficiency advocates should be able to use the power of social media to engender energy savings behavior changes among people. And here’s why: Research from people like Dr. Robert Cialdini has found that people will change their behavior when they think a majority of other people are doing something that they’re not. Bottom line: people want to fit in and be a part of the group. It’s a very powerful motivator.
Here’s also an interesting link to how wealthy people are using sites like Facebook. Can you think of ways to engage wealthy homeowners via social media and educate them on the benefits of energy management systems?
It should be noted that Cialdini works with a company, Opower, that sends energy usage information to electric utility customers. A statement might tell a customer that he’s using more energy on air conditioning than others in his neighborhood and community, for example. And Opower—as well as the utilities—have enjoyed some success with this.
Comparisons Work
Powerhouse Dyanamic's eMonitor shows a carbon footprint comparison on its web-based interface..
That’s why, on web-based interface of the eMonitor, for example, there are two footprints: one denoting the average carbon footprint of a household in your state, and yours. It’s the first thing I look at when I go on my eMonitor page. And I pride myself on not feeling like I have to be a part of the crowd.
It will be very interesting to watch how social media for engaging energy efficient behaviors and apps like JouleBug evolve. My feeling is that the best usage of these mediums will be to inform and educate consumers on easy ways they can save energy. JouleBug founders say its sequential art provides a simple “how-to” for every tip. In the future, there will be links to more information and videos on the web as well.
Is there a place for game playing and social media in energy efficiency? You bet. We just have to find the most effective ways to use these motivators.
Also see:
The Future of Energy Management
11 Reasons Energy management Will be Big in 2011
