[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.59,0:00:03.13,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How many of you have checked your email today?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:03.13,0:00:05.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Come on, raise your hands.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:05.03,0:00:07.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How many of you are checking it right now?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:07.16,0:00:08.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:00:08.72,0:00:11.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And how about finances? Anybody check that today?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:11.22,0:00:13.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Credit card, investment account?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:13.71,0:00:17.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,How about this week?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:17.66,0:00:20.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, how about your household energy use?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:20.78,0:00:22.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Anybody check that today?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.71,0:00:26.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This week? Last week?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:26.87,0:00:29.99,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A few energy geeks spread out across the room.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.99,0:00:32.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's good to see you guys.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:32.56,0:00:35.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the rest of us -- this is a room filled with people
Dialogue: 0,0:00:35.80,0:00:38.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who are passionate about the future of this planet,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:38.78,0:00:40.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and even we aren't paying attention
Dialogue: 0,0:00:40.61,0:00:43.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to the energy use that's driving climate change.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:43.57,0:00:46.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The woman in the photo with me is Harriet.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:46.23,0:00:48.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We met her on our first family vacation.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:48.76,0:00:51.12,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Harriet's paying attention to her energy use,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:51.12,0:00:53.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and she is decidedly not an energy geek.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:53.98,0:00:59.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is the story of how Harriet came to pay attention.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:59.22,0:01:01.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This is coal,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:01.25,0:01:04.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the most common source of electricity on the planet,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:04.61,0:01:07.83,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and there's enough energy in this coal
Dialogue: 0,0:01:07.83,0:01:11.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to light this bulb for more than a year.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:11.79,0:01:13.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But unfortunately, between here and here,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:13.86,0:01:15.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,most of that energy is lost to things
Dialogue: 0,0:01:15.29,0:01:18.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like transmission leakage and heat.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:18.17,0:01:21.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, only 10 percent ends up as light.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:21.75,0:01:25.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So this coal will last a little bit more than a month.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:25.76,0:01:28.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you wanted to light this bulb for a year,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:28.37,0:01:33.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,you'd need this much coal.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:33.41,0:01:36.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The bad news here is that, for every unit of energy we use,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:36.45,0:01:38.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we waste nine.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:38.52,0:01:40.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That means there's good news,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:40.16,0:01:42.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,because for every unit of energy we save,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:42.74,0:01:46.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we save the other nine.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:46.00,0:01:51.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So the question is, how can we get the people in this room
Dialogue: 0,0:01:51.30,0:01:54.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and across the globe to start paying attention
Dialogue: 0,0:01:54.27,0:01:56.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to the energy we're using,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:56.35,0:01:59.33,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and start wasting less of it?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:59.33,0:02:01.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The answer comes from a behavioral science experiment
Dialogue: 0,0:02:01.72,0:02:05.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that was run one hot summer, 10 years ago,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:05.10,0:02:07.23,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and only 90 miles from here,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:07.23,0:02:10.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in San Marcos, California.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:10.61,0:02:13.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Graduate students put signs on every door in a neighborhood,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.29,0:02:16.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,asking people to turn off their air conditioning
Dialogue: 0,0:02:16.11,0:02:18.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and turn on their fans.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:18.32,0:02:20.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,One quarter of the homes received a message that said,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:20.61,0:02:22.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,did you know you could save 54 dollars a month this summer?
Dialogue: 0,0:02:22.93,0:02:24.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Turn off your air conditioning, turn on your fans.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:24.74,0:02:26.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Another group got an environmental message.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:26.58,0:02:28.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And still a third group got a message about
Dialogue: 0,0:02:28.67,0:02:31.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,being good citizens, preventing blackouts.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:31.35,0:02:35.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Most people guessed that money-saving message would work best of all.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:35.06,0:02:37.68,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, none of these messages worked.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:37.68,0:02:40.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They had zero impact on energy consumption.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:40.53,0:02:44.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was as if the grad students hadn't shown up at all.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:44.65,0:02:46.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But there was a fourth message,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:46.47,0:02:48.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and this message simply said,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:48.60,0:02:52.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"When surveyed, 77 percent of your neighbors
Dialogue: 0,0:02:52.51,0:02:54.100,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,said that they turned off their air conditioning and turned on their fans.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:54.100,0:02:56.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Please join them. Turn off your air conditioning
Dialogue: 0,0:02:56.80,0:02:58.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and turn on your fans."
Dialogue: 0,0:02:58.06,0:03:00.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And wouldn't you know it, they did.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:00.76,0:03:02.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The people who received this message
Dialogue: 0,0:03:02.71,0:03:05.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,showed a marked decrease in energy consumption
Dialogue: 0,0:03:05.24,0:03:08.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,simply by being told what their neighbors were doing.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:08.65,0:03:10.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So what does this tell us?
Dialogue: 0,0:03:10.35,0:03:12.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, if something is inconvenient,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:12.56,0:03:14.55,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,even if we believe in it,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:14.55,0:03:18.43,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,moral suasion, financial incentives, don't do much to move us --
Dialogue: 0,0:03:18.43,0:03:22.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but social pressure, that's powerful stuff.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:22.10,0:03:25.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And harnessed correctly, it can be a powerful force for good.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:25.72,0:03:27.88,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In fact, it already is.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:27.88,0:03:30.52,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Inspired by this insight, my friend Dan Yates and I
Dialogue: 0,0:03:30.52,0:03:32.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,started a company called Opower.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:32.69,0:03:35.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We built software and partnered with utility companies
Dialogue: 0,0:03:35.16,0:03:37.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who wanted to help their customers save energy.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:37.96,0:03:41.03,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We deliver personalized home energy reports
Dialogue: 0,0:03:41.03,0:03:42.75,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that show people how their consumption
Dialogue: 0,0:03:42.75,0:03:45.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,compares to their neighbors in similar-sized homes.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:45.62,0:03:47.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Just like those effective door hangers,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.86,0:03:50.32,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we have people comparing themselves to their neighbors,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:50.32,0:03:52.84,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then we give everyone targeted recommendations
Dialogue: 0,0:03:52.84,0:03:54.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to help them save.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:54.49,0:03:56.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We started with paper, we moved to a mobile application,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:56.80,0:03:59.72,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,web, and now even a controllable thermostat,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:59.72,0:04:01.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and for the last five years we've been running
Dialogue: 0,0:04:01.74,0:04:06.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the largest behavioral science experiment in the world.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:06.14,0:04:07.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it's working.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:07.81,0:04:09.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Ordinary homeowners and renters have saved
Dialogue: 0,0:04:09.91,0:04:13.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,more than 250 million dollars on their energy bills,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:13.05,0:04:14.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we're just getting started.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:14.56,0:04:17.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,This year alone, in partnership with more than 80 utilities
Dialogue: 0,0:04:17.82,0:04:20.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in six countries, we're going to generate
Dialogue: 0,0:04:20.07,0:04:23.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,another two terawatt hours of electricity savings.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:23.22,0:04:25.27,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now, the energy geeks in the room know two terawatt hours,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.27,0:04:27.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but for the rest of us, two terawatt hours
Dialogue: 0,0:04:27.30,0:04:30.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is more than enough energy to power every home
Dialogue: 0,0:04:30.64,0:04:33.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in St. Louis and Salt Lake City combined
Dialogue: 0,0:04:33.94,0:04:35.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for more than a year.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:35.51,0:04:37.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Two terawatt hours, it's roughly half
Dialogue: 0,0:04:37.47,0:04:40.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,what the U.S. solar industry produced last year.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:40.06,0:04:43.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And two terawatt hours? In terms of coal,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:43.65,0:04:46.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we'd need to burn 34 of these wheelbarrows
Dialogue: 0,0:04:46.81,0:04:50.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,every minute around the clock every day for an entire year
Dialogue: 0,0:04:50.80,0:04:52.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to get two terawatt hours of electricity.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.91,0:04:54.22,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we're not burning anything.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:54.22,0:04:55.95,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We're just motivating people to pay attention
Dialogue: 0,0:04:55.95,0:04:58.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and change their behavior.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:58.96,0:05:01.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But we're just one company, and this is just
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.25,0:05:03.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,scratching the surface.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:03.39,0:05:06.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Twenty percent of the electricity in homes is wasted,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:06.96,0:05:08.96,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and when I say wasted, I don't mean that people have
Dialogue: 0,0:05:08.96,0:05:12.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,inefficient lightbulbs. They may.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:12.31,0:05:15.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I mean we leave the lights on in empty rooms,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:15.46,0:05:18.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and we leave the air conditioning on when nobody's home.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:18.49,0:05:21.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's 40 billion dollars a year wasted
Dialogue: 0,0:05:21.57,0:05:24.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,on electricity that does not contribute to our well-being
Dialogue: 0,0:05:24.82,0:05:27.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but does contribute to climate change.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:27.47,0:05:29.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's 40 billion -- with a B --
Dialogue: 0,0:05:29.59,0:05:31.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,every year in the U.S. alone.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:31.87,0:05:35.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,That's half our coal usage right there.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:35.24,0:05:38.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now thankfully, some of the world's best material scientists
Dialogue: 0,0:05:38.01,0:05:41.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are looking to replace coal with sustainable resources
Dialogue: 0,0:05:41.51,0:05:42.65,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like these,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:42.65,0:05:46.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and this is both fantastic and essential.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:46.15,0:05:48.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But the most overlooked resource to get us
Dialogue: 0,0:05:48.19,0:05:51.73,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to a sustainable energy future, it isn't on this slide.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:51.73,0:05:56.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's in this room. It's you, and it's me.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:56.39,0:05:59.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And we can harness this resource
Dialogue: 0,0:05:59.07,0:06:00.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,with no new material science
Dialogue: 0,0:06:00.91,0:06:04.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,simply by applying behavioral science.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:04.10,0:06:06.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We can do it today, we know it works,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:06.19,0:06:09.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and it will save us money right away.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:09.91,0:06:12.66,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So what are we waiting for?
Dialogue: 0,0:06:12.66,0:06:15.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, in most places, utility regulation
Dialogue: 0,0:06:15.39,0:06:19.71,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,hasn't changed much since Thomas Edison.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:19.71,0:06:22.64,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Utilities are still rewarded when their customers
Dialogue: 0,0:06:22.64,0:06:24.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,waste energy.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:24.20,0:06:28.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They ought to be rewarded for helping their customers save it.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:28.00,0:06:31.41,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But this story is much more than about household energy use.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:31.41,0:06:33.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Take a look at the Prius.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:33.47,0:06:36.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's efficient not only because Toyota invested in material science
Dialogue: 0,0:06:36.50,0:06:38.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but because they invested in behavioral science.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:38.97,0:06:41.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The dashboard that shows drivers how much energy
Dialogue: 0,0:06:41.11,0:06:43.07,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,they're saving in real time
Dialogue: 0,0:06:43.07,0:06:44.59,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,makes former speed demons
Dialogue: 0,0:06:44.59,0:06:47.34,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,drive more like cautious grandmothers.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:47.34,0:06:49.91,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Which brings us back to Harriet.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:49.91,0:06:52.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We met her on our first family vacation.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:52.09,0:06:54.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She came over to meet my young daughter,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:54.28,0:06:56.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and she was tickled to learn that my daughter's name
Dialogue: 0,0:06:56.45,0:06:58.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is also Harriet.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:58.51,0:06:59.93,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She asked me what I did for a living,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:59.93,0:07:01.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I told her, I work with utilities
Dialogue: 0,0:07:01.48,0:07:03.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to help people save energy.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:03.35,0:07:05.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It was then that her eyes lit up.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:05.58,0:07:07.51,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,She looked at me, and she said,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:07.51,0:07:09.74,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"You're exactly the person I need to talk to.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:09.74,0:07:11.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,You see, two weeks ago, my husband and I got a letter
Dialogue: 0,0:07:11.92,0:07:14.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the mail from our utility.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:14.24,0:07:17.44,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It told us we were using twice as much energy as our neighbors."
Dialogue: 0,0:07:17.44,0:07:20.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:07:20.87,0:07:23.69,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,"And for the last two weeks, all we can think about,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:23.69,0:07:25.98,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,talk about, and even argue about,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:25.98,0:07:27.70,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is what we should be doing to save energy.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:27.70,0:07:30.56,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We did everything that letter told us to do,
Dialogue: 0,0:07:30.56,0:07:33.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and still I know there must be more.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:33.36,0:07:35.04,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now I'm here with a genuine expert.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:35.04,0:07:39.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Tell me. What should I do to save energy?"
Dialogue: 0,0:07:39.80,0:07:43.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,There are many experts who can help answer Harriet's question.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:43.85,0:07:45.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,My goal is to make sure
Dialogue: 0,0:07:45.92,0:07:48.21,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we are all asking it.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:48.21,0:07:49.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:49.57,0:07:54.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)