As electric cars, smart meters and solar panels have become popular, it may be hard to believe that consumers don’t have enough information about the energy the technology consumes.According to a group of researchers, that is precisely the case. 


In the spring 2015 issue of the journal Behavioral Science and Policy, scientists advocated changing the way energy use is measured and improving the manner in which that information is communicated. 


The study, “Designing Better Energy Metrics for Consumers,” asserts that consumers are often poorly informed about the energy consumed by the various products they purchase and use. It argues that traditional metrics, such as miles per gallon, are flawed and limited.


Instead, better measurements would describe the amount of energy consumed and relate that information to important objectives, such as reducing costs or environmental impacts.


Psychology research supports this approach, revealing that consumers often lack the motivation to consider information beyond what is presented to them. In the case of evaluating their own energy use, incomplete or misleading metrics leave them with a poor understanding of the consequences of their decisions.


To remedy this, the study’s authors argue for a new approach to energy metrics based on four principles of information: consumption, objectives, relativity to meaningful comparisons, and expanded scales (CORE).


Examples of metrics that incorporate CORE concepts include a consumption index for air conditioners, tying energy consumption to environmental impact, comparing use with neighbors, and expanding the measurement of cost savings over longer periods of time, such as years instead of days.