Fostering a Culture of

Sustainable Behavior

KATHLEEN JUDD

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Army Reserve Mission Resilience & Sustainability Training – Tempe, AZ

November 7, 2017 1UNCLASSIFIED

PNNL-SA-130358

Technology Policy BehaviorInstitutional

Change

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Culture - the shared behaviors, values and attitudes of a group

Changing the culture requires institutional (organization-driven) and

behavioral (individual-driven) change

Institutional change – holistic, organizational approach to achieving

sustainability goals

What it all means

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Reduce energy and resource use

Provide directives to reduce energy and resource use

Supports effective use of technologies

and policies

The commitment curve

3UNCLASSIFIEDAdapted from Conner & Patterson (1982), others

Some things we know about

institutional change

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The science is well

understood

8 key principles of

institutional change

Integrating the science

into operations is the

hard part

A disciplined approach

and practical guidance

can help

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Source: Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP)

Institutional Change

(https://energy.gov/eere/femp/institutional-change-principles)

Leadership: Make leadership commitment and action visible

Infrastructure: Change defaults to make it easy, and provide motivations

and incentives to use infrastructure more efficiently

Information and Feedback: Provide actionable resources and tools

tailored to the workplace

Commitment: Ask for specific and public commitments

Social Empowerment: Involve people in program design and processes

Multiple Motivations: Provide different/combined appeals to reach people

Social Network and Communications: Show that others have changed

Continuous Change: Plan for a multiyear evolving process

8 institutional change principles

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Source: Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP)

Institutional Change for Sustainability

5 Steps to Institutional Change

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Step 1: Determine Goals

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Army Reserve-wide goals

Energy Intensity: 25% reduction

from FY15-25

Potable Water Intensity: 36%

reduction from FY07-25

Waste Diversion: 50% diversion

annually

Example facility-specific goals

Energy: 2% from FY17-18

Water: 20% FY15-18

Waste: 20% recycled in FY18

Make goals meaningful at the site level

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Reference: FEMP Institutional Change for Sustainability

Step 2: Asses Rules, Roles & Tools

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Roles

Whose behavior matters?

What roles do they play?

Rules

What rules impact goals?

How are they enforced?

What is penalty for breaking?

Tools

What technology, systems,

or processes impact goals?

What new tools would help?

Ask users!

Understand current influence of rules, roles and tools on goals and define changes to better

support them

• Occupants (full-time, weekend)• Facility ops specialists, coordinators• Energy, water, and waste managers • Maintenance and cleaning

• Leaders • IT specialists• Procurement

Formal rules:• UFC HVAC set point guidance• Green IT equipment purchase specificationsInformal rules:• “Recycled” items end up in the garbage so don’t bother

• Building energy monitors (BEM) in each facility, handbook, checklist

• Standard specifications for plumbing fixtures• Sorting guidance above waste stations

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Energy Water Waste

Occupants:• Doors closed with HVAC

running• Computer settings

optimized for power saving

Facility Coordinator:• Maintain temp set-points

and set-backs• File service requests for

hot/cold zone problems

Occupants: • Report leaky faucets and

toilets• Water off when not in use

Grounds personnel:• Manage irrigation

schedule

Facility Coordinator:• File service requests for

leaks

Occupants:• Proper recycling of paper

and plastics• Using personal coffee

mugs/water bottles• Double-sided printing

Facility Coordinator:• Bins available where they

are needed

Cleaning staff:• Emptying bins regularly

EXAMPLES

Know your audience and the specific roles they play supporting goals.

Make sure actions are relevant in the local context.

Step 2: Asses Rules, Roles & Tools

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Step 3: Develop Action Plan

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Educate

• Let stakeholders know what specific actions to take and why it matters

• Provide feedback on how they are doing compared to a goal or the past

Enable

• Keep it to a few high impact actions

• Remove barriers to action

• Align key stakeholders on messaging (e.g. IT support on computer settings)

Engage

• Use known, trusted sources to deliver messages to occupants (e.g. BEMs)

• Use personal outreach when possible (“high touch” vs. high tech)

• Recognize individuals in building-wide communications

• Show visible senior leader support

Define strategies that educate, enable, and engage your audiences.

Use the 8 principles of institutional change.

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Start with a pilot and scale up

Establish metrics for outputs (did change occur?) and outcomes (did we

save resources?)

Output: Lights were office in offices 75% of evenings (up from 50%)

Outcome: 10,000 kWh reduction in evening/nighttime electricity use

Measure your baseline and changes

Observation, surveys, metering

Use results to show others its worth the effort

Evaluate what worked and adjust actions and goals

What helped people do the right things? Do it more.

What didn’t help? Try something else.

Steps 4-5: Implement, Measure

and Evaluate

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Take time to measure and evaluate the impact, and share results

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Fort Carson

Behavior Change Case Study

Objective: Understand

occupant behaviors with

greatest potential to reduce

energy use and evaluate

approaches to support those

behaviors in a set of green

buildings

Timing: 2013

Scope

2 COFs with military occupants

3 office buildings with military

and civilian occupants

2 Company Operations Facilities

9420/Brigade HQ

1219 administration building

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Fort CarsonAssessed role of occupants in local context

Nighttime temperature set-backs in offices

Shut down computers at night

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Fort Carson

Established new rules, roles and tools

Roles – focused on Building

Energy Monitor (BEM)

Rules – change procedures and

policy related to thermostat set-

backs and computer night time

shutdown (target behaviors)

Tools – BEM training, reminders,

walk through check list, email

messages, letter from leadership

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Fort Carson

Measured progress and shared results

5%

-1%

7% 8%

51%

59%

43%

37%

24%

64%

18% 19%

28%

57%54%

9420 9447 9427 1118 1219

% of Computers Shut Down by Building over 12 Weeks

Together thermostat setbacks and computer shutdown at night resulted in approximately 2% energy savings in one metered building

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Key takeaways

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Understand the local context

Focus on actions that matter

Use strategies that educate,

enable and engage – reference

the 8 principles of IC

Expect an ROI and take time to

evaluate impacts

Share successes, adapt your

rules, roles and tools, and

replicate – don’t let up!

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Questions?

17

Kathleen JuddTechnical Group Manager

BUILDINGS &

CONNECTED SYSTMS

Kathleen.Judd@pnnl.gov

www.pnnl.gov

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