In the popular energy efficiency story, the heroes tend to be scientists, engineers, and mathematicians. They design better infrastructure. They invent newer, cleaner, renewable technology. They utilize more efficient materials. They dig deep geothermal wells. They benchmark, they measure, and they compute. They do their absolute best to take the human element out of the conversation. ?Human energy,? they explain, ?is like a missile without a rudder.?
There is an alternative story, of course. In this story, human energy is the source of ideas, opportunities, and insights. Human energy can be transferred, driving widespread behavioral change. Human energy innovates and transforms.
In November 2011, in partnership with the Renewable Energy Fund from the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation, BIF launched a research initiative that looked at commercial energy usage from the perspective of people who make day to day decisions: executives responsible for energy policies and decisions, employees who generate ideas and whose actions define energy usage. We looked at companies who were leading in their energy efficiency efforts. We hoped that we would gleam insights about the human side of making energy efficiency initiatives successful.
When we started this project, our narrative sounded a lot like the ?popular energy efficiency story.? Companies, we thought, were driven by the rising costs of energy to develop energy efficiency programs and policies. They needed good, cheap technology and the know-how to navigate the ecosystem of local resources and support. However, we also discovered five insights, which were far less obvious.
It?s not just about money; companies have diverse motivations for reducing energy consumption.
While it is true that energy costs are creating a financial burden for companies (for some, energy costs are the second highest cost item, next to payroll), successful companies are motivated by more than the reduction of their energy costs. For some, energy programs are a bi-product of employee engagement programs; for others, they are a tool for attracting talent. This has implications for how companies think about the return on investment for energy activities.
Energy efficiency isn?t the ?right? goal.
While energy efficiency has become common vernacular for what we want to accomplish, its a relatively meaningless goal for many companies. Energy efficiency is simply using the lowest possible unit of energy per unit of output. Companies are more focused on ?sufficiency? - the process of identifying what energy goals are unique and appropriate to them individually.
Power of individual agency trumps the importance of an energy czar.
In order for a company to achieve its energy efficiency goals, everyone in the company must take ownership of the problem (which ironically can leave people feeling like no one owns the problem). Leveraging the behaviors of employees begins with the creation of opportunities for them to play a role as an individual and as a team.
Success is as much about culture and engagement as it is about smart technology.
While smart technology plays an important role in helping companies reduce their energy consumption dramatically, we discovered company culture and employee engagement were equally important elements of success. Smart technology cannot achieve its full potential without the proper engagement and education of those who are putting it to use.
Passion rules.
People are genuinely passionate about good energy use, and in most cases, it is this passion that catalyzes a company?s energy programs. Passion also drives new ideas for lowering energy consumption, and is a used to influence adoption of energy programs.
In turns out, successful companies are motivated by a nucleus of human energy - spirits in search of a better way. Ideas and passion create gravity, bubbling up into policies, programs, and opportunities for companies to be more efficient - in their energy consumption, as well as in the other components of their business. ?As companies open themselves to this possibility, they find easy ways to harness this human energy. While technology is still important, and the pathway to easier energy use and lower consumption, smart technology requires smart users.
The tool we developed, In Good Company: Behavioral Methods for Energy Efficiency, is designed to help companies harness and leverage the human energy. Companies can dig into the motivation that matches their own and learn from the stories and methods of other commercial users.
BIF is looking forward to continuing to build its Energy Lab. We hope you?ll join us.
Source: http://www.businessinnovationfactory.com/weblog/good-company-behavioral-methods-energy-efficiency
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