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Saving water in schools: evidence on the use of smart water meters and behavioural insights
The city of Cape Town suffered a severe water crisis in 2018. At the peak of the drought in South Africa’s Western Cape, a randomised control trial at 105 schools investigated the impact of two behavioural interventions to encourage responsible water usage: detailed water usage data feedback from sm...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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School of Economics
2020
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| _version_ | 1867613776829743104 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Berger, Kenneth John |
| author2 | Visser, Martine |
| author_browse | Berger, Kenneth John Visser, Martine |
| author_facet | Visser, Martine Berger, Kenneth John |
| author_sort | Berger, Kenneth John |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | The city of Cape Town suffered a severe water crisis in 2018. At the peak of the drought in South Africa’s Western Cape, a randomised control trial at 105 schools investigated the impact of two behavioural interventions to encourage responsible water usage: detailed water usage data feedback from smart meters, and an interschool competition. Interventions reduced water usage in these schools by 15 to 26%. The information feedback was found to be more effective in reducing night time water use, indicating better water usage by the staff, while the competition was found to be more effective during the day time, indicating better water usage by the pupils. The contrast highlights the way feedback was understood differently by the two groups, with different effects on their assumption of responsibility. This example from Cape Town demonstrates the effectiveness of combining smart technologies with nudges. It provides a model of water conservation interventions for sustainable cities. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/31407 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:41:31.929Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publishDateRange | 2020 |
| publishDateSort | 2020 |
| publisher | School of Economics |
| publisherStr | School of Economics |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/31407 Saving water in schools: evidence on the use of smart water meters and behavioural insights Berger, Kenneth John Visser, Martine behavioural insights nudges smart water meters water conservation The city of Cape Town suffered a severe water crisis in 2018. At the peak of the drought in South Africa’s Western Cape, a randomised control trial at 105 schools investigated the impact of two behavioural interventions to encourage responsible water usage: detailed water usage data feedback from smart meters, and an interschool competition. Interventions reduced water usage in these schools by 15 to 26%. The information feedback was found to be more effective in reducing night time water use, indicating better water usage by the staff, while the competition was found to be more effective during the day time, indicating better water usage by the pupils. The contrast highlights the way feedback was understood differently by the two groups, with different effects on their assumption of responsibility. This example from Cape Town demonstrates the effectiveness of combining smart technologies with nudges. It provides a model of water conservation interventions for sustainable cities. 2020-02-28T14:07:01Z 2020-02-28T14:07:01Z 2019 2020-02-28T11:05:13Z Master Thesis Masters MCom http://hdl.handle.net/11427/31407 eng application/pdf School of Economics Faculty of Commerce |
| spellingShingle | behavioural insights nudges smart water meters water conservation Berger, Kenneth John Saving water in schools: evidence on the use of smart water meters and behavioural insights |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Saving water in schools: evidence on the use of smart water meters and behavioural insights |
| title_full | Saving water in schools: evidence on the use of smart water meters and behavioural insights |
| title_fullStr | Saving water in schools: evidence on the use of smart water meters and behavioural insights |
| title_full_unstemmed | Saving water in schools: evidence on the use of smart water meters and behavioural insights |
| title_short | Saving water in schools: evidence on the use of smart water meters and behavioural insights |
| title_sort | saving water in schools evidence on the use of smart water meters and behavioural insights |
| topic | behavioural insights nudges smart water meters water conservation |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/31407 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT bergerkennethjohn savingwaterinschoolsevidenceontheuseofsmartwatermetersandbehaviouralinsights |