The Effect of Real-Time Feedback on Indoor Environmental Quality

Abstract

Due to improved insulation, decreasing indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is an emerging issue in the design of sustainable and energy-efficient buildings. Poor IEQ has severe long-term implications for the occupants’ health. Manual airing is a promising energy-efficient solution to combine good insulation and healthy IEQ. However, occupants’ behavior is crucial for its effectiveness. Digital nudging can help to influence people’s behavior, e.g., by means of giving feedback. We conduct a field experiment over four weeks, in which we provide real-time IEQ feedback to nudge occupants towards opening the windows. We find a significant improvement in IEQ for offices in the treatment group, but also see that the nudge’s effectiveness reduces over time, possibly as a result of habituation. This experiment paves the way for further studies examining the design of nudges towards improving IEQ.