How Policy Design and Social Context Shape Energy Behavior and Outcomes

Session Submission Type: Panel

Abstract

This panel examines how policy design, behavioral factors, and social context shape energy-related decisions and outcomes across households and communities. As governments and utilities increasingly rely on programs such as rebates, energy assistance, and clean energy infrastructure deployment to drive the energy transition, understanding how individuals and communities respond to these interventions is critical. The four papers in this panel highlight how administrative design, behavioral biases, social norms, and community perceptions influence participation in energy programs and shape energy use patterns, with important implications for equity and policy effectiveness.

Xue Gao, Daniel Han, Destenie Nock, and Tian Tang investigate how participation in residential energy-efficiency rebate programs affects household electricity consumption using high-frequency smart meter data from Tallahassee. Employing a staggered difference-in-differences design, they find that adoption of energy-efficient appliances is associated with increased electricity use on average, particularly among less vulnerable households. Their analysis further reveals that these effects vary across the day and across household subgroups, suggesting that efficiency gains may alter consumption timing and routines rather than uniformly reducing demand. 

Catherine Chen, Jeffrey Cross, Benjamin Cooper, and Aaron Strong examine how reducing cognitive decision costs influences participation in a state-level energy-retrofitting program among low- and moderate-income homeowners in a northeastern state. Using a two-wave survey experiment combined with administrative data, they test whether providing customized cost-savings information and explanations of cost–benefit reasoning increases program application and completion rates. Their study highlights how simplifying decision-making processes and reducing decision costs can enhance participation in energy-efficiency programs, particularly among underserved populations. 

Sara Constantino explores community attitudes toward utility-scale solar development through a representative survey of U.S. communities with planned or prospective projects. She finds generally mild opposition but identifies important gaps between perceived and actual levels of local support: respondents often overestimate their neighbors’ opposition. Through choice experiments, the study also shows that project attributes—such as end-use purposes—significantly shape community acceptance. These findings underscore the importance of perception, social norms, and project design in shaping the feasibility of large-scale clean energy deployment. 

Michelle Graff, Trevor Memmott, and Lee White analyze how administrative burdens and social-psychological factors influence participation in energy assistance programs. Using a nationally representative survey experiment, they demonstrate that while compliance costs such as paperwork matter, psychological costs—especially stigma—are more persistent barriers to participation. Their findings also show that trust, social norms, and perceived behavioral control play a central role in shaping program uptake, suggesting that policy interventions must go beyond reducing administrative hurdles to address social and behavioral dynamics. 

The papers in this panel demonstrate that energy policy effectiveness depends not only on program availability or financial incentives, but also on how policies are designed, perceived, and experienced by individuals and communities. The panel highlights the importance of integrating behavioral insights, social context, and equity considerations into energy policy design to ensure that programs achieve their intended outcomes and support an inclusive energy transition.

Policy Area

• Natural Resource, Energy, and Environmental Policy

Chair

• Morgan Edwards, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Discussants

• Yueming (Lucy) Lucy Qiu, University of Maryland, College Park

• Maranna Yoder, Indiana University

Organizer

• Catherine Chen, Hamilton College

Individual Presentations

• Rebate Program Participation and Daily Energy Use Profiles: Evidence from Residential Smart Meter Data - Presenting Author: Xue Gao, Florida State University

• Reducing Decision Cost of Taking Up an Energy Retrofitting Program in the Northeast - Presenting Author: Catherine Chen, Hamilton College

• Beyond Paperwork: How Stigma and Social Norms Affect Energy Assistance Program Participation - Presenting Author: Michelle Graff, Georgia Institute of Technology

• Community Engagement with Utility-Scale Solar Projects: A Representative Survey of U.S. Communities - Presenting Author: Sara Constantino, Stanford University