From Behavioural Insight to Measurable Results

In our article, "The Surprising Power of Words: How Guest Behaviour Impacts Your Hotel's Energy Bill", we explored how research, including work supported by Augos, highlights the effectiveness of normative prompts in influencing guest energy behaviour. Understanding this psychological insight is powerful, but translating it into tangible results requires careful implementation and, critically, accurate measurement.

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This guide provides a practical framework, the "Nudge & Analyse" Pilot: for testing normative prompts in your property and understanding the data needed to verify their impact.

The "Nudge & Analyse" Pilot: Step-by-Step

1. Define Scope & Groups:
   
   • Objective: Test if a specific normative prompt reduces air conditioner energy usage.
   • Location: Select two comparable hotel sections (e.g. Wing A vs. Wing B).
   • ‍Groups: Designate one as Control (no change) and the other as Test (receives the prompt).

2. Craft Your Normative Prompt:
   
   • Focus: Positive, credible, descriptive norm (what others typically do).
   • Example Wording (UK English): "Join your fellow guests in keeping comfortable sustainably! A popular and energy-efficient temperature setting in our hotel is 22-23°C."
   • Format: Use a small, professional card/sticker placed near the AC controls. Brief housekeeping to maintain placement only in Test Group rooms.

3. Establish Baseline Measurement (Crucial):
   
   • Duration: Collect data for 2-4 weeks before the pilot starts.
   • Ideal Method: Utilise Augos to monitor HVAC circuits for rooms in both groups. Calculate average daily kWh per occupied room night (kWh/ORN) for each. Augos ensures data reliability via continuous device health monitoring (battery, signal strength). This provides the accuracy needed for clear results.
   • Basic Method (Main Meter): Record total property daily energy use, occupied rooms per group, and average outdoor temperature. Be aware: This method makes isolating the nudge's effect very difficult and prone to inaccuracies.

4. Implement the Nudge:
   
   • Introduce prompts in the Test Group rooms. Run for a set period (e.g. 4-8 weeks).

5. Measure During Intervention:
   
   • Continue collecting the same data for both groups.

6. Analyse the Results:
   
   • Ideal Method (Augos Data): Compare the change in average kWh/ORN (Intervention vs. Baseline) between the Test and Control groups. A significantly better result in the Test group validates the nudge.
   • Basic Method (Main Meter Data): Compare overall trends, attempting rough adjustments for occupancy/temperature. Crucially, this analysis highlights data limitations. Can you confidently attribute changes to the nudge? Unlikely. This exercise primarily demonstrates why granular data is essential.

‍Why Precise Measurement Makes the Difference

Running this pilot, especially if attempting analysis with only main meter data, starkly reveals the necessity of precise measurement:

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• Validation: Only granular data can truly verify if your behavioural nudge, operational change, or equipment upgrade is delivering the expected savings.
• Insight: Augos uncovers hidden inefficiencies and patterns your main meter cannot see, allowing for targeted optimisation. Our Smart Triggers can even alert you to operational deviations needing attention.
• ROI: Accurate measurement proves the return on investment for energy-saving initiatives, justifying budgets and guiding future strategy.

Conclusion

Combining smart behavioural insights, like using normative prompts, with robust measurement technology is key to unlocking significant energy savings and operational efficiencies. This pilot offers a practical way to explore behavioural influence, while simultaneously underscoring the foundational role of accurate data. Augos provides the reliable measurement platform and expert support needed to turn insights into verifiable results.

Contact Us‍

Ready to move beyond estimation and accurately measure your energy performance? Our team is ready to assist you, please email: info@augos.io or call +27 87 093 6174.