Analyzing Water Customer Preferences for Online Feedback Technologies in Israel: A Prototype Study

Abstract

Over the last decade, utilities, governments, and businesses have increasingly come to realize that financial considerations are not the only factors driving consumer behavior; rather, social and psychological factors play a significant role as well. For example, water demand management strategies rely on customers understanding how to reduce their individual water consumption and apply this understanding to their everyday activities. The proliferation of smart metering technology has enabled water utilities to better quantify end-user demand and provide near-real-time feedback to their customers. However, relatively few studies have examined the effectiveness of online feedback in promoting water-saving behavior. This study engaged water customers from three different cities in Israel in focus groups to analyze their behavioral incentives to conserve water and their preferences for online feedback applications. Focus group participants revealed a greater interest in environmental conservation than economic concerns, perhaps due to a low price of water. Participants were generally not interested in learning about their daily water consumption but rather preferred to receive alerts only about urgent matters such as a leak in their home or abnormal consumption.