Journeys through Power Payback
To help inform future work in the area of inclusive flexibility, we developed three provisional user personas based on the interview data we collected. Personas are fictionalised descriptions representing groups of users with similar characteristics. They are helpful in the process of designing products, services, and solutions to better address user needs – which can then be developed with the involvement of real users. The personas presented here reflect a range of attributes of our participants and their experience of engaging with Power Payback.
It is important to recognise that a persona approach can never fully capture the diversity of experiences likely to be encountered by users. However, it can help prompt creative thinking about solutions that can address a broader variety of needs than may otherwise be the case. We expect to develop these and additional personas as we learn more about people’s experiences and expectations for flexibility in the course of our work.
To develop the personas, we first identified important dimensions of difference or commonality across our participants:
- Structured schedule: This refers to how rigidly household schedules are structured by things like work, school runs, or children’s bedtimes.
- Energy curiosity: This describes a level of keenness to learn about, and experiment with, energy use.
- Self care: This describes the extent to which schedules and activities are structured by self-care requirements for issues relevant to health, such as medical equipment and appointments.
- Other care: This captures the level of general caring responsibilities for others, such as children or partners.
These factors were commonly associated with, and used by participants to explain, aspects of their experience of the Power Payback service. We sketched out backgrounds, enablers, and barriers to participation, and created generalised descriptions of these attributes informed by the interview data. We illustrated the general descriptions with examples drawn from the participants in this research, acknowledging that in reality many of our interviewees will lack some characteristics of a particular persona, or show characteristics of more than one persona.
Persona 1: Energy Educator
The Energy Educator is a parent in their 30s or 40s, living in rented accommodation in urban or suburban areas, with a younger child or children. Money is often tight but, with careful management, they are getting by. Cost-saving is the priority for them, but when it comes to saving energy, they are also keen to take opportunities to help their children learn. They may use smart meters and other energy-saving technologies to monitor and manage their household's energy consumption, sometimes involving their children in these activities to instil good habits early on – but also experiencing some conflict. Despite their busy schedules, they try to incorporate energy-saving practices into their daily routines where possible.
Goals:
- Reduce household energy bills to better manage household finances.
- Educate their children about the importance of energy saving.
- Feel they are reducing the negative environmental impact through flexibility approaches.
Dimensions:
- Structured schedule: Energy Educators tend to have more highly-structured routines due to parenting responsibilities.
- Energy curious: Energy Educators are keen to take opportunities to support their children to learn more about energy (and how to save it).
- Self-care: Energy Educators may deprioritise self-care in favour of caring for others.
- Other care: Energy Educators have significant caring responsibilities (for their children).
Energy Educators
Image Description
Gwen
Bio
Gwen is a single mother in her 40s, who resides in her council house with her two children. She has lived there for 23 years. Balancing her job and household responsibilities, she is committed to energy conservation as both a cost-saving measure and an educational tool for her children, particularly her older child, who has a keen interest in engineering. Her motivation is driven by the need to reduce costs and instil good energy habits in her children.
Barriers
Gwen encounters minor conflicts with her children when trying to enforce energy-saving practices, such as turning off the Xbox or computers during Power Payback events. While her older child, who is interested in engineering, is more receptive, her younger child is less engaged. This makes it harder for Gwen to consistently involve both children in energy-saving efforts.
Quote
"I made the kids turn their TVs off on standby and that's wasting electricity. So it makes them more aware of what they're doing. I think it's nice to do it to be fair."
Erica
Bio
Erica, a mother of four, balances the demands of a bustling household while encouraging energy saving in her children. With a partner who leaves the financial and administrative tasks to her, Erica takes the lead in participating in Power Payback events. She educates her children about the importance of energy conservation by incorporating practical activities, such as turning off unnecessary appliances and scheduling high-energy tasks during off-peak hours.
Barriers
Power Payback event timings often coincide with peak household activity times, making it difficult for Erica to participate effectively. Erica finds it challenging to balance the different energy needs and preferences of her children, especially when they have conflicting demands for using electronic devices and entertainment.
Quote
“With my four children, it's literally non-stop, but I try to teach them to turn off lights and devices when they’re not in use.”
Persona 2: Flexible Disconnector
Flexible Disconnectors often live alone or with one other person in urban or suburban areas. They enjoy the opportunity Power Payback events provide to disconnect from their routine, take a break, and do something different, such as watching a movie from the laptop or going for a walk. While cost-saving is the main driving force, the Flexible Disconnectors are highly attracted to the invitation to relax and switch off from their usual energy use. Their flexible schedules and minimal household coordination allow them to adapt to these events.
Goals:
- Reduce energy bills even if the saving is small.
- Enjoy the break from routine offered by Power Payback events and engage in simple and relaxing activities.
- Contribute (sometimes) to environmental efforts.
Dimensions:
- Structured schedule: Flexible Disconnectors’ schedules are less structured by those of other occupants.
- Energy curious: Flexible Disconnectors may be interested in energy, but it is not a driving factor for their involvement in Power Payback.
- Self care: Some Flexible Disconnectors might have significant self-care needs, such as chronic health conditions or disabilities.
- Other care: Flexible Disconnectors may have less caring responsibilities for others if they live alone.
Flexible Disconnectors
Image Description
Damon
Bio
Damon lives on his own and is currently looking for work, following a period of ill health and, before that, homelessness. He is interested in energy and does his best to use as little as possible, in part for cost reasons. He enjoys the time to relax when he switches all the power off at the fusebox during the Power Payback events.
Barriers
Damon already has a very low-energy usage, which limits his ability to further reduce consumption during Power Payback events. Inconsistent and delayed notifications about Power Payback events make it difficult for Damon to plan and participate effectively.
Quote
“Me and my partner like to exercise. We went out for a walk during the hours.”
Nick
Bio
Nick, a 33-year-old social care worker, lives in an urban flat with his partner. Both lead busy lives with varying schedules, which allows them flexibility in managing their energy usage. Nick appreciates the Power Payback events as an opportunity to disconnect from daily routines, using the time to engage in simple, relaxing activities such as going for a walk.
Barriers
Nick sometimes has to deal with the lack of interest of his partner and remind him of the importance of saving energy during event times. The saving notification of the events can sometimes be delayed and unclear, making it hard for Nick to track his progress and stay motivated.
Quote
“So there's something about the feeling of disconnecting a little bit from being plugged into things where you don't feel as if you need to do something.”
Persona 3: Energy Explorer
Energy Explorers are typically in their 30s to 50s, living in households that include multiple members. They approach Power Payback as an engaging challenge, experimenting through events to see what approach would have the most impact. These individuals have a high level of willingness to engage and experiment due to curiosity with Power Payback, which may or may not be accompanied by a higher level of tech literacy. Their primary goals are to reduce energy bills and explore innovative ways to optimise their household systems. Energy Explorers enjoy the process of discovering what works best, turning energy-saving efforts into a creative endeavour.
Goals:
- Reduce energy bills through experimentation.
- Have fun experimenting with energy-saving techniques.
- Optimise household systems to reduce energy consumption.
Dimensions:
- Structured schedule: Energy Explorers’ schedules might be flexible or inflexible depending on the level of their caring responsibilities.
- Energy curious: Energy Explorers are defined by their desire to learn more about their energy use (and how to reduce it), which drives them to experiment with different energy-saving techniques.
- Self care: Energy Explorers have varying levels of self-care requirements.
- Other care: Energy Explorers also have varying levels of caring responsibilities for others.
Energy Explorers
Image Description
Chris
Bio
Chris, a father of four, lives in a suburban home with his children, three of whom have special needs. Chris enjoys experimenting with smart technology to find innovative ways to reduce his energy consumption. He has replaced most of his traditional light bulbs with smart bulbs and installed smart plugs to control energy usage remotely, allowing him to monitor and adjust his household’s energy consumption even when he's not at home. For Chris, the process of discovering what works best is as rewarding as the cost savings.
Barriers
Living in a housing association property, Chris is unable to make significant changes, such as installing solar panels without approval. This restricts his ability to further optimise his household’s energy efficiency. Chris experiences confusion due to receiving notifications about Power Payback events from multiple different phone numbers. This inconsistency makes it difficult for him to track event details and participation effectively.
Quotes
“We went around [to turn off] different devices each time to see how things were going... We tried everything else up to that point.”
“90% of my house is on smart stuff. You'll be able to see more of what you're using and what is using more power. So it's like smart bulbs and everything else.”
Kaye
Bio
Kaye is a resourceful mother in her 30s, living in a two-bedroom home with her 13-year-old son with a disability. Kaye approaches energy-saving initiatives with curiosity and enthusiasm. While not highly tech-savvy, Kaye has experimented with various methods, such as using smart plugs to manage the energy use of her lizards' heating systems and integrating Alexa-controlled devices to optimise her household’s energy efficiency. She enjoys involving her son in these activities, turning energy conservation into a family learning experience.
Barriers
Kaye's son has medical needs that require constant use of electrical equipment. This makes it difficult to reduce energy consumption significantly without compromising his care. Kaye faces some technical challenges with her smart meter, such as inconsistent communication with the app, making it hard to monitor and manage energy usage effectively.
Quotes
“I've got an Alexa for the plug for the thermostats and heaters. By doing that, I can actually turn the lizard tank off a couple of times a day for an hour or so, and the tanks still hold the heat. So I've been able to save electricity with that because I know that's going to eat electricity.”
“We've recently switched over to Alexa light bulbs which are a lot easier to turn off and on. So if I go upstairs and I've realised I've left the light on I can just tell Alexa to turn it off."
Journeys into flexibility
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We consolidated the journey of a Power Payback participant detailing the desired actions and outcomes at each stage, and opportunities for development of similar flexibility services in future. Although actions are similar across personas, we highlight differences in opportunities where relevant.
Customer actions and outcomes
Power Payback awareness and sign up
- Become aware of the Power Payback service, and sign up to participate.
Opting in & participation in events
- Become aware of and opt-in to events, and reduce energy usage during the event period.
Continued engagement with events
- Review feedback from previous events to understand saving patterns and adjust approach.
- Stay motivated and enabled to continue responding.
- Increase energy/flexibility literacy and lock in energy-saving behaviours.
Opportunities
Power Payback awareness and sign up
- Scope ways to build wider awareness of the need for flexibility through public, civil, corporate, and other routes.
- More prominently highlight the opportunity to learn about energy and try something new.
- Use sign-up as an opportunity to request more information from people about how they can be better supported to save. For example, would they like to opt to receive details of activities for children?
Opting in and participation in events
- Consistent and timely notifications about events through preferred communication channels.
- Explore effectiveness of forms of guidance on reducing consumption during events, including on savings potential of different actions.
- For Energy Educators:
- Develop activities, games, and learning resources that can be used with children.
- Requesting automated notifications that align with their schedules could help them balance energy savings with family needs.
- For Flexible Disconnectors:
- Encouragement and tips for things to do (eg, taking a walk, book recommendations) when disconnecting.
- For Energy Explorers:
- Encouragement and tips on trying out different energy-saving techniques, eg, using smart plugs.
Continued engagement with events
- Faster feedback about event savings.
- Incentives for reliable participation.
- For Energy Educators:
- Having the opportunity to continuously engage the children in energy saving by offering gamification and activity guides.
- Opportunities to share tips and achievements with peers.
- Varying activities (eg, low-energy meals suggestions).
- For Flexible Disconnectors:
- Sharing opportunities: book discussions, walk photos.
- For Energy Explorers:
- Providing more detailed, personalised feedback, allowing people to note what actions they took.
- Enhanced performance tracking, social comparison.
