Early October saw the 2018 BECC conference in Washington, DC—coinciding with the release of the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C (SR15). If ever there were a rallying call for faster, deeper behaviour change, this was it.
Enervee presented twice: research on how consumer lay theories block energy-smart buying, and data showing how our IDEAL Marketplace moves shoppers toward more efficient purchases—with or without incentives.
Against the SR15 backdrop, here are five takeaways from BECC 2018:
1) Where’s the behaviour?
The opening talk focused on framing messages to shift attitudes. Useful, but it can be slower than tackling behaviour first. Decades of behavioural science show we can change outcomes faster and cheaper by making the desired action easy—then align attitudes afterward.
2) We’re at war—so be pragmatic.
Polarization (for/against climate action; for/against science) risks sidelining practical tools. We should use all approaches: values-based appeals and behavioural interventions. Horses for courses.
3) From efficiency to engagement & satisfaction.
US and EU utilities are converging. Many are shifting from pure savings to engagement and satisfaction—building trusted-advisor status that underpins adjacent services (solar, storage, smart home, EVs). That’s where experiences like Enervee’s utility marketplace shine.
4) The peak–end effect matters.
We remember the most intense moment and the ending. BECC’s close—featuring leading academics—hit both. Elke Weber highlighted polarization and reminded us that Nobel prizes (Simon, Kahneman, Thaler) rewired how we think about decisions. The call to action: move beyond rational-choice models and prioritize behaviour—fast.
5) Design for high-impact choices.
Paul Stern noted that big-impact behaviours aren’t always “pro-environmental” by motive—and that we must measure impact, not just statistical effects. Effective interventions: (i) make high-impact choices convenient and easy; (ii) surface trusted info at the point of decision. That’s the core of our Choice Engine approach and the Enervee Score (0–100) that guides model-level efficiency.
Bottom line: BECC 2018 reinforced a pragmatic path to mass-scale behaviour change—use behavioural science and data to make better choices easy at the moment of purchase.