One-time boiler adjustment = Long-term energy savings
“One-off” intervention from the UK: Help people change boiler settings to save money and reduce carbon emissions.
What unsustainable behavior needs to change:
The average UK gas boiler emits more CO2-equivalent emissions in a year than taking seven transatlantic flights. That’s why we investigated how to make it easier for households to increase the efficiency of their boilers.
In 2005, the UK mandated the use of condensing boilers, which are more efficient as they capture and reuse energy. However, for these savings to materialise, the boiler settings must be correct – regrettably, most were found to be inefficiently set. Additionally, many homeowners were unaware that adjusting boiler settings could lead to cost savings. Thus, informing the public became essential, alongside overcoming behavioural barriers.
The intervention focused on a crucial „one-off“ action, eliminating the need for continuous effort from homeowners and recognizing the challenges associated with maintaining repetitive actions.
The Green Nudge:
The Nesta team applied the Behavioural Insights Team’s EAST framework to the problem:
Make it Easy: We developed a simple online tool that helped people follow the steps to change their boiler settings, based on the type of boiler controls they had.
Make it Attractive: We quantified the yearly savings that taking action would have on a typical household gas bill; which in 2022 could save people around £100.
Make it Social: Our website campaign had a tracker, showing the number of people who had already taken action.
Make it Timely: We aimed to create a tool that would enable people to adjust their boiler settings easily and immediately. A lasting, one-time change which they wouldn’t have to worry about. We also made sure to promote the change during winter, when people are most aware of their gas usage.
The result: In early October 2022, 21% of respondents reported to have previously lowered their boiler flow temperature. By March 2023, this figure increased to 32% after the survey was re-conducted. It is estimated that approximately 3.1 million households adjusted their boiler flow temperatures during the campaign. This adjustment resulted in an estimated reduction of 500,000 tonnes of CO2 and nearly saved households £300 million. Additionally, it saved HM Treasury approximately £157 million by reducing expenditure on the Energy Price Guarantee.
These figures reflect carbon and cash savings over the past year alone. It is believed that the continued impact of this initiative could save several billion pounds over the next 5-10 years, depending on gas prices and the number of consumers who maintain their adjusted boiler settings.
Are you aware of any other nudges that help to save energy? Feel free to get in touch: hello@green-nudges.com
From Katy King and Oli Berry at Nesta, a UK-based innovation agency for social good. The agency designs, tests, and scales new solutions to society’s biggest challenges, improving millions of lives.
