Reducing Light Use With Gain-and Loss-Framed Prompts: Field Experiments

Abstract

Previous studies have tested various light-switching appeals, except for messages that explicitly focused on the energy gains or losses accompanying manual light control. To fill this research gap, we tested the effectiveness of prompts with different frames (i.e., gain vs. non-loss vs. loss vs. non-gain) of energy-saving arguments promoting turning off the lights in single-stall restrooms across two field experiments (university building: N = 786, and DIY store: N = 2,288). Results revealed that gain- and loss-framed prompts were overall effective in promoting turning off lights compared with the control condition. However, the effectiveness of a particular gain- and loss-framed prompt varied across the occupants’ samples. Despite these differences, explicitly stated gain (i.e., conserving energy) or loss (i.e., wasting energy) from turning off or leaving on the lights, respectively, had the most stable influence as compared with non-loss (i.e., not wasting energy) or non-gain (i.e., not conserving energy) frames.