BROADCASTS.com

b'Power Down The Rev. Canon Sally G. Bingham, President, The Regeneration Project Chris King, Chief Regulatory Officer, eMeter Gregory Walton, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Stanford University Energy underpins our civilization. It\\u2019s hardly surprising that convincing people to use less of something so tied to their comfort and survival is challenging. Smart policy has given California a head start, but it\\u2019s not enough. We need to dig deeper to reap energy savings, say these three experts convened by Climate One. \\u201cI think there\\u2019s a downside in focusing too narrowly on money,\\u201d says Gregory Walton, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Stanford University. Instead, Walton and his team focus on creating the sense that saving energy is a community movement. We need to reach a point where saving energy becomes the social norm, he says, as is the case with wearing seat belts and recycling. \\u201cThere\\u2019s a psychological transformation that happens,\\u201d Walton says. \\u201cIt\\u2019s the same behavior, the same experience, but it comes to feel very different by virtue of its social need.\\u201d There are still other levers to pull. \\u201cI have a bit of an advantage, in that most religions can use guilt,\\u201d jokes Rev. Sally G. Bingham, President and Founder, California Interfaith Power & Light. \\u201cSometimes it works. But mostly our congregations that are cutting their energy use are doing it for the right reasons,\\u201d she says. \\u201cFairly often a congregation will begin this process for money saving reasons, but also because they feel they are doing the right thing\\u201d Chris King, Chief Regulatory Officer, eMeter, says customers need better information. \\u201cThere\\u2019s this strong desire for more information and ability to do something,\\u201d he says. \\u201cWhat they really want to know: How much energy does each of my appliances use?\\u201d It\\u2019s helpful to know that electricity consumption spiked when I plugged in my toaster, he says, but without comparing it to the total, the bigger picture is lost. A better solution is to give customers a monthly breakdown for electricity use by all appliances, which he says can be done with up to 90% accuracy using a combination of the smart meter and algorithms. This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Commonwealth Club of California, San Francisco on July 22nd, 2011\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices'