Challenge
Limiting Excessive Energy Consumption During Summer Months
Applied Ethics Strategies:
Grafting onto Existing RootstockIntroduction
In a commercialized island city, recent summers have brought record heatwaves, driving up residents’ energy use to cool their homes. This annual increase in energy use leads not only to increased greenhouse gas emissions from carbon-intensive utilities but also results in grid strain and occasional blackouts. While many acknowledged their consumption was unsustainable and needed reduction, actual behavior showed little change. High energy use persisted due to limited access to affordable cooling options, energy-efficient appliances, and financial incentives for upgrading in-home systems.
How could applied ethics address this challenge?
A utilities company sought to reduce household electricity use by building on residents’ social responsibility concerns related to the impact of their energy consumption on emissions and grid reliability. The company launched monthly personalized energy reports that showed customers how their energy consumption compared to similar households in their neighborhood, paired with simple, actionable summertime heat management tips. This peer-based feedback tapped into a sense of accountability and provided citizens with achievable benchmarks. Follow-up messages to customers linked energy-conscious habits to safer, healthier indoor conditions during heatwaves, reinforcing behavior change through familiar priorities. As a result, the company achieved measurable, sustained reductions in residential energy demand.
Questions to consider
How can private companies learn more about residents’ concerns, values, or interests in relation to energy use?
How are customers’ data privacy and security protected?
Do the personalized energy reports account for differences in household size, income, building type, or medical needs that might affect energy use?
What implementation challenges are you aware of where applied ethics strategies could help?
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