Not to buy or can be 'nudged' to buy? Exploring behavioral interventions for energy policy in India

Recent advancements in behavioral sciences have spurred a lot of interest in its application in the field of energy efficiency and conservation. Cost effective behavioral interventions have shown to induce energy consumers to take positive steps toward reducing their energy consumption. This paper aims to spark interest amongst researchers, policymakers, utilities, appliance manufacturers, energy service companies (ESCOs) and other relevant stakeholders to organize and undertake concerted research into behavioral interventions in energy efficiency and conservation in India and make use of the knowledge to design and implement effective energy policies. In this paper we provide a brief review of behavioral interventions that were successful in promoting energy efficiency and conservation. We also highlight the various limitations and issues regarding behavioral interventions which need to be addressed and resolved. We further identify the challenges to carrying out behavioral interventions in the Indian context and suggest a possible approach to overcome them and steer the direction of behavioral research in India.