SCC-CIVIC-PG Track A: Accelerating diffusion of energy efficiency programs in under-represented communities through social networks

提高能源效率是一项高杠杆的气候行动，具有许多共同利益。它被认为是提供能源服务和抵御极端气候和能源供应中断的最清洁，最丰富，最实惠的方式。但即使在那些制定了旨在激励住宅能效项目的政策的州，那些可能从此类激励措施中获益最多的社区也面临着参与障碍。在拟议的研究中，我们问是否有意专注于口碑，或社会，扩散可以加速通过能源效率计划（EEPs）在服务不足的环境正义的城市社区。在这种模式中，EEP与民间组织合作，接触有影响力的早期采用者，为采用者建立工具和激励措施，以分享有关计划的信息，并利用其现有的网络进行社会传播。与直接推广计划不同，社会传播可以推动采用率的指数增长，或者使产品或想法“像病毒一样传播”。将社会传播策略整合到现有的基于社区的推广计划中可以推动随后的采用浪潮。本项目通过对社区的社会结构、话语和社会资本的分析，为制定、实施和研究社会传播战略奠定基础。该项目团队将社区外展项目的领导者、民间组织、市政府、经验丰富的社会科学家和可持续发展专家与我们在马萨诸塞州洛厄尔的试点社区建立的网络相结合。麻省大学洛厄尔分校的城市校园是嵌入在环境正义社区，是由EEPs服务不足。阶段1和2将解决研究问题：1。社区社交网络和社会人口特征如何影响能源效率计划的社会传播？2.什么样的技能、工具和激励措施可以增加早期采用者对能源效率计划后续社会传播的影响？3.什么工具可以让采用者有效地参与社区的数字公共广场，以促进能源效率计划的开放性和意识？4.什么方法可以用来激励采用者与潜在的采用者分享有效的信息，从而加速社会传播？5.应制定哪些衡量标准来评估提高能效计划参与度的进展情况？我们的项目将建立一个工具包，有意识地加强和使用社交网络，以促进能源效率计划的社会传播。它有可能改变社区官员和领导人增加EEP参与的方式，产生可扩展的战略方法，以加速采用住宅EEP，减少能源需求，成本和排放。该项目是对公民创新挑战计划-轨道A的回应。生活在不断变化的气候中：该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Improving energy efficiency is high leverage climate action with many co-benefits. It is considered the cleanest, most abundant, and most affordable way to deliver energy services and resilience to climate extremes and disruptions in energy supply. But even in states with policies aiming to incentivize residential energy efficiency projects, communities that may have the most to gain from such incentives face barriers to participation. In the proposed research we ask whether intentional focus on word-of-mouth, or social, diffusion can accelerate adoption of energy efficiency programs (EEPs) in under-served environmental justice urban communities. In this model, EEPs work with civic organizations to reach influential early adopters, build tools and incentives for adopters to share information about the programs, and use their existing networks for social diffusion. Unlike direct outreach programs, social diffusion can drive exponential growth in adoption or enable a product or idea to ‘go viral.’ Integrating social diffusion strategies into existing community-based outreach programs can fuel subsequent waves of adoption. This project lays the groundwork to develop, implement, and research social diffusion strategies guided by analysis of communities’ social structures, discourse, and social capital. The project team combines leaders of community-based outreach programs, civic organizations, municipal government, experienced social scientists, and sustainability experts with established networks in our pilot communities in Lowell, Massachusetts. UMass Lowell’s urban campus is embedded in environmental justice communities that are underserved by EEPs. Stages 1 and 2 will address research questions: 1. How do community social networks and socio-demographic characteristics impact social diffusion of energy efficiency programs? 2. What skills, tools, and incentives can increase the impact of early adopters on subsequent social diffusion of energy efficiency programs? 3. What tools allow adopters to effectively engage with the community’s digital public square to foster openness and awareness about energy efficiency programs? 4. What approaches can be used to incentivize adopters to share effective messages with potential adopters and thereby accelerate social diffusion? 5. What metrics should be developed to assess progress in increasing participation in energy efficiency programs? Our project will build a toolkit for intentionally strengthening and using social networks to foster social diffusion of energy efficiency programs. It has the potential to transform the way that community officials and leaders increase EEP participation, generating scalable, strategic approaches to accelerate adoption of residential EEPs, cutting energy demand, costs, and emissions for under-served populations. This project is in response to the Civic Innovation Challenge program—Track A. Living in a changing climate: pre-disaster action around adaptation, resilience, and mitigation—and is a collaboration between NSF, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Energy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.