Inducing pro-environmental behaviour in National Health Service (NHS) to reduce energy costs using persuasive technology techniques

Hospitals represent a busy environment when considering energy consumption in the building sector. Electricity represents a crucial powering source in hospitals including, but not limited to, lighting, catering and medical equipment. Hence, it is important to conserve it to ensure high quality of services that would enhance the patients’ health. This would also contribute to the reduction of the hospitals’ carbon footprint as well as the harmful impacts on the environment. The studies carried out in hospitals considered the use of renewable energy or the use of more power efficient equipment to tackle the energy problem. The challenge remains open in how to tackle the energy problem in a hospital by influencing pro-environmental behaviour. This study represents a step into reducing electricity costs of Medway NHS Foundation Trust (MNFT) in the UK. The proposed idea is to use technology to persuade MNFT staff to monitor their behaviour and with the right motive, from selected and appointed energy delegates, sustain a pro-environmental behaviour. Through combining technology, in the form of feedback on energy consumption and monitoring occupancy rates, and behavioural factors, represented in motivation from energy delegates and spreading awareness; it is possible to develop and sustain a proenvironmental behaviour among MNFT staff. This paper aims at describing the methodology proposed to reduce energy costs in MNFT by inducing pro-environmental behaviour with the aid of technology. This involves a smart electricity sub-metering system to collect and communicate energy data to a centralised server that pushes the data onto a dedicated web interface. Furthermore, addressing the psychological factors by appointing energy delegates to monitor the consumption, in selected areas, as well as motivate the staff members. In addition, monitoring human dynamics and analysing it against energy data. The study will include a baseline data collection period, for reference, followed by an experimental period to test and evaluate the system.