---
_id: '62697'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: "Urged by the European Energy Crisis and the threatening consequences of severe\r\nnatural
    gas shortages, energy providers launched gas-saving initiatives incor-\r\nporating
    financial incentives to reduce residential natural gas consumption. In\r\ncollaboration
    with one of Germany’s largest energy providers, we conducted\r\na natural field
    experiment (N = 2,598) to evaluate the effectiveness of a\r\nbehaviorally-guided
    co-design of such a gas-saving initiative by implementing\r\ntwo established behavioral
    instruments – reminders of gas saving intentions and\r\ndescriptive norm feedback.
    Our findings show limited effectiveness of the behav-\r\nioral instruments during
    the high-price period. The feedback risks a “boomerang\r\neffect” among households
    with above-average initial savings, who reduce their\r\nconservation efforts in
    response. The reminder does not significantly enhance sav-\r\nings in our main
    specifications, yet, realizes 1 percentage point savings in alternate\r\nmodels
    refining for outliers. Potential mechanisms include a significant intention-\r\naction
    gap and misperceived effectiveness of energy-saving actions, which are not\r\nalleviated
    by the reminder."
author:
- first_name: Vicky
  full_name: Tinnefeld, Vicky
  last_name: Tinnefeld
- first_name: Martin
  full_name: Kesternich, Martin
  id: '98922'
  last_name: Kesternich
  orcid: 0000-0002-0653-7680
- first_name: Madeline
  full_name: Werthschulte, Madeline
  last_name: Werthschulte
citation:
  ama: Tinnefeld V, Kesternich M, Werthschulte M. <i>Do Energy-Saving Nudges Deliver
    During High-Price Periods? Field Experimental Evidence From the European Energy
    Crisis</i>. ZEW Discussion Paper No. 25-60; 2025.
  apa: Tinnefeld, V., Kesternich, M., &#38; Werthschulte, M. (2025). <i>Do Energy-Saving
    Nudges Deliver During High-Price Periods? Field Experimental Evidence From the
    European Energy Crisis</i>. ZEW Discussion Paper No. 25-60.
  bibtex: '@book{Tinnefeld_Kesternich_Werthschulte_2025, title={Do Energy-Saving Nudges
    Deliver During High-Price Periods? Field Experimental Evidence From the European
    Energy Crisis}, publisher={ZEW Discussion Paper No. 25-60}, author={Tinnefeld,
    Vicky and Kesternich, Martin and Werthschulte, Madeline}, year={2025} }'
  chicago: Tinnefeld, Vicky, Martin Kesternich, and Madeline Werthschulte. <i>Do Energy-Saving
    Nudges Deliver During High-Price Periods? Field Experimental Evidence From the
    European Energy Crisis</i>. ZEW Discussion Paper No. 25-60, 2025.
  ieee: V. Tinnefeld, M. Kesternich, and M. Werthschulte, <i>Do Energy-Saving Nudges
    Deliver During High-Price Periods? Field Experimental Evidence From the European
    Energy Crisis</i>. ZEW Discussion Paper No. 25-60, 2025.
  mla: Tinnefeld, Vicky, et al. <i>Do Energy-Saving Nudges Deliver During High-Price
    Periods? Field Experimental Evidence From the European Energy Crisis</i>. ZEW
    Discussion Paper No. 25-60, 2025.
  short: V. Tinnefeld, M. Kesternich, M. Werthschulte, Do Energy-Saving Nudges Deliver
    During High-Price Periods? Field Experimental Evidence From the European Energy
    Crisis, ZEW Discussion Paper No. 25-60, 2025.
date_created: 2025-11-28T12:07:25Z
date_updated: 2025-12-01T10:21:20Z
ddc:
- '330'
file:
- access_level: closed
  content_type: application/pdf
  creator: mkestern
  date_created: 2025-11-28T12:04:11Z
  date_updated: 2025-11-28T12:04:11Z
  file_id: '62698'
  file_name: dp25060.pdf
  file_size: 2165853
  relation: main_file
  success: 1
file_date_updated: 2025-11-28T12:04:11Z
has_accepted_license: '1'
jel:
- C93
- D04
- D91
- Q41
keyword:
- Residential energy savings
- energy crisis
- behavioral interventions
- survey data
- field experiment
language:
- iso: eng
publisher: ZEW Discussion Paper No. 25-60
status: public
title: Do Energy-Saving Nudges Deliver During High-Price Periods? Field Experimental
  Evidence From the European Energy Crisis
type: working_paper
user_id: '98922'
year: '2025'
...