Increasing the flexibility of electricity consumption in private households: Does gender matter?

Increased reliance on renewable electricity production is important for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Inducing households to adjust the timing of their electricity consumption to fit fluctuations in renewable electricity supply can help make this possible. In a field study, 71 Danish households received incentivized text messages, suggesting that they shift electricity consumption to certain hours of the day. The study shows that when text messages were sent to women, there was a significantly greater response than when they were sent to men. Based on qualitative in-depth interviews, we find that an important reason for this is gender difference in household work task responsibility. Our study suggests that incorporating knowledge about gendered practices when designing and targeting policies to change electricity consumption habits and induce flexibility could significantly increase their effectiveness. •Field study: 71 households to adapt to flexible electricity consumption.•Gender difference found in responsibility for use of electrical household appliances.•Mainly women were responsible for the use of washing machine and dryer.•Targeting women increased flexible electricity consumption.•Recommendation: incorporate knowledge about gendered practices in energy policies.