The Role of Micro-Moments: A Survey of Habitual Behavior Change and Recommender Systems for Energy Saving

Among the large number of efforts that study the role of technology in energy saving, there exists, first, frameworks for monitoring and controlling energy consumption in households, second, systems that suggest best practices to users and energy providers, and third, findings that focus on the motivations that trigger a behavioral change toward energy efficiency. However, there is still no work that builds on the habitual behavior change of individuals and the use of technology for this purpose. In this paper, we survey the literature that aims at understanding the behavior of energy consumers and then changing it by recommending energy-saving activities. We build on the concept of “micro-moments” and the “habit loop” theory to explain how we can gradually change user routines by targeting those specific moments where the proper recommendation and a small but instant reward can be more effective in shaping a better energy-efficient profile.