East Bay Municipal Utility District (MUD) is expanding a pilot program that provides individual residential customers with water report cards, showing how their use compares with similar-sized households in the area.
The one-year trial gave 10,000 customers access to a Web portal that allowed them to track their own water use and compare it to the average consumption by similar households in their area. It also provided profiles, or report cards, that showed customers how they stacked up against the most water-efficient families of comparable size.
The “behavioral water efficiency” strategy draws on human nature to motivate customers to save water. A little neighborly competition is involved as well. The idea is that when people are shown that their behavior is outside of the norm, they are motivated to change the way they behave so they conform more closely to the norm.
The pilot project, developed by WaterSmart Software, found that households receiving the “home water reports” reduced use by an average of five percent compared to homes that did not get an assessment. Customers who got the profiles were also more likely to take advantage of conservation programs such as water audits or rebates on water-saving equipment.
The reports, delivered by mail or electronically, also include conservation recommendations tailored to the individual customer. The statements include a household’s water use, how it compares with similar homes in the area and a grade of sorts: “Great,” “Good,” or “Take Action,” accompanied by a water drop wearing a smiley, neutral or worried expression.
The water savings achieved in the pilot were enough to prompt East Bay MUD’s board to approve a three-year contract with WaterSmart to increase participation to 100,000 homes. Compared to other conservation measures, the utility expects the new program to be very cost effective.