BETA partnered with the Australian Energy Regulator to apply behavioural insights to the design of energy bills. We conducted a literature review to identify key research questions, which we examined through two online samples involving over 6,300 and 7,800 Australians, respectively. We used the two samples to conduct a survey and six randomised controlled trials.
A de-identified version of the unit record data from the survey and all survey experiments is available from the Australian Data Archive (ADA). There are no restrictions on access to this data beyond the standard terms and conditions used by the ADA.
ADDITIONAL TRIAL INFORMATION
Trial start and end date: Group A - 29 June 2021 to 24 July 2021. Group B – 25 June 2021 to 26 July 2021
Ethics approval: Macquarie University Human Research Ethics (ref: 520211030928942 - Billing guideline trial) , 23 June 2021 (Group A and B)
Keywords: Energy, bills, behavioural economics, consumers
Experimental design including randomisation:
Group A - A series of three randomised trials, each with four arms, that were evaluated using the data collected through the online experiment and related online survey. Each trial had three treatment arms and a control arm. Randomisation was at the individual level with a one-quarter probability of assignment to each experimental arm. Participants were separately randomised to treatment arm for each individual trial. Participants were asked questions about various hypothetical energy bills created for the project.
Group B - A series of three randomised trials, the first two with five arms each, and the third a 5x2 factorial design. They were evaluated using the using the data collected through the online experiment. The first two trials had four treatment arms and a control arm. Randomisation was at the individual level with a one-fifth probability of assignment to each experimental arm. Participants were separately randomised to treatment arm for each individual trial. Participants were asked questions about various hypothetical energy bills created for the project.
Outcome(s):
Primary and secondary outcomes – various. See the Group A and Group B pre-analysis plans for more details
Expected sample size: Group A - approximately 1500 participants in each of the 4 arms, so 6000 in total. Group B – approximately 1500 participants in each of the 5 arms, so 7500 in total.
Other:
