IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ucp/jaerec/doi10.1086-722833.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Using Targeting to Optimize Program Design: Evidence from an Energy Conservation Experiment

Author

Listed:
  • Todd D. Gerarden
  • Muxi Yang

Abstract

We investigate the potential for targeted treatment assignment rules to improve the performance of a large-scale behavioral intervention to encourage households to conserve energy. We derive treatment rules based on observable household characteristics that maximize the expected benefits of the intervention. Targeting treatment using transparent and easily implemented rules could yield significant gains; the energy savings from optimal treatment assignments are predicted to be double those achieved by the intervention as implemented. Predicted cost savings from targeting are even larger. Our results underscore the potential for targeted treatment assignment to generate significant benefits in many domains.

Suggested Citation

  • Todd D. Gerarden & Muxi Yang, 2023. "Using Targeting to Optimize Program Design: Evidence from an Energy Conservation Experiment," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 10(3), pages 687-716.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jaerec:doi:10.1086/722833
    DOI: 10.1086/722833
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/722833
    Download Restriction: Access to the online full text or PDF requires a subscription.
    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/722833
    Download Restriction: Access to the online full text or PDF requires a subscription.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1086/722833?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Al-Ubaydli, Omar & Cassidy, Alecia & Chatterjee, Anomitro & Khalifa, Ahmed & Price, Michael, 2023. "The power to conserve: a field experiment on electricity use in Qatar," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 121048, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. Christensen, Peter & Francisco, Paul & Myers, Erica & Shao, Hansen & Souza, Mateus, 2024. "Energy efficiency can deliver for climate policy: Evidence from machine learning-based targeting," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ucp:jaerec:doi:10.1086/722833. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Journals Division (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/JAERE .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.