Play and learn: Serious games in breaking informational barriers in residential solar energy adoption in the United States

• Randomized control trial using serious games targets solar energy info gaps.
• Changes tracked in behavioral attributes toward solar adoption in game participants.
• Perceived behavioral control and intentions toward solar adoption are increased.
• Participants feel agency, which may activate passive potential customer base.

Recent literature states the importance of using behavioral science to address the persistent gaps between the technical potential of low carbon technologies and the actual adoption of these technologies. With the goal of addressing this important gap, in this study we investigate the efficacy of serious games – games with a primary purpose other than entertainment – to overcome informational and perceptive barriers to broader adoption of solar energy in the residential sector. Using a randomized control trial design with playing a trivia-style game as the treatment condition, we assess the impact of serious games on effecting behavioral antecedents toward solar energy in residential energy customers, applying the Theory of Planned Behavior (attitudes, norms, and perceived behavioral control). Our findings indicate that serious games are effective in bridging the information gap and enabling participants to feel agency, warranting further investigation of the effectiveness of this intervention strategy on behavioral change applied at large scale.