The Prius Effect: Immediate Feedback and Commercial Energy Use

Introduction: The Prius Effect - Why It Helps to Lower Energy Usage

The “Prius Effect” is a phenomenon coined when the hybrid Toyota Prius introduced real time feedback on gasoline consumption.  It was observed and documented that a large subset of drivers would respond to the data by driving in a manner that decreased fuel consumption.  This real time feedback is now a staple on many cars, including some powered by a gasoline engine only.

Can a simple matter of feedback impact energy usage in a business?  Doesn’t sound obvious – and yet, research suggests that exactly the same factors are at work to create the same effects. Here’s why.