Energy Efficiency

EE Gap Slides [link]
Allcott and Sweeney Slides [link]
Weatherization Wars [link]

Key Points

Required reading and response questions


Lecture 1

Required Reading

Response questions

  1. What is the energy efficiency gap?
  2. What are some “rational” explanations?

Optional Reading


Lecture 2

Required Readings
Read the following two experimental papers. For each paper, you don’t have to read the whole thing. Read the abstract and the intro, then skim the rest to understand the experimental setup and key results.

  1. Allcott (JPubEcon 2011)
  2. Allcott & Sweeney (MS 2017)

Response questions
For each paper, write one paragraph explaining:

  1. What is the research question in each paper?
  2. How does the experiment allow the authors to answer the question?

Lecture 3

Required Readings
Recently, there was a very public debate of the benefits of weatherization. Some prominent economists conducted a study which called into question the wisdom of a popular energy efficiency program.

Response questions:

  1. Do you find the economist’s criticism of this program fair?
  2. What did you take away from this back and forth?

Additional material