Does Salience of Neighbor-Comparison Information Attract Attention and Conserve Energy? Eye-Tracking Experiment and Interview with Korean Local Apartment Residents

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether salience neighbor comparison information attracts more attention from residents and consequently leads significant energy conservation. An eye-tracking experiment on 54 in a local apartment complex Korea found that the average time increased 277 ms when size was four times larger located far left. However, interviews with subjects suggest seemingly unrelated conservation, because most them did not agree social consensus individuals need refrain consuming they know have consumed than neighbor’s average. Utility data 502 households apartments revealed that, notified their neighbors, only less 50% reduced consumption, which supports interview results. Therefore, it concluded lead conservation effects community, although contributed attracting information. Unavailable household remained as limitation clarify effect by households.