Using Behavioural Insights to Electrify Small Businesses<\/span><\/h3><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>Authors: <\/b>Anna Stromwell, Senior Advisor, BIT<\/span>Jessica Brown, Senior Advisor, Programs and Outreach, Government of PEI<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Many local and provincial governments offer programs to help small and medium-sized businesses become more energy efficient. However, participation in these programs can be low\u2013meaning that small businesses are not taking advantage of incentives that would reduce their costs and their impact on the environment. <\/span><\/p>\nRead on to discover how Prince Edward Island (PEI) used Behavioural Insights\u2013 findings from the study of real-world human behaviour and decision making\u2013 to improve its program and help businesses make energy-efficient upgrades.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>Understanding barriers to program completion<\/span><\/h5>\nPrince Edward Island (PEI) was struggling to engage businesses in its <\/span>Community Energy Solutions<\/a><\/span> program. It engaged the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT<\/a>)<\/span> to help strengthen the program through the application of Behavioural Insights. Behavioural science is the study of human behaviour and the ways that our actions are shaped by environmental and contextual factors. A <\/span>behavioural insights approach<\/a><\/span> is behavioural science in action.<\/span><\/p>\nThe team began by <\/span>defining the key behaviours<\/b> for businesses to successfully complete the program. These behaviours included submitting an application, receiving an audit, planning the project scope, installing upgrades, and submitting invoices for rebates. <\/span><\/p>\nThe team then conducted <\/span>data analysis and phone interviews<\/b> with past participants to understand the barriers that clients experienced at each step of the program. We found:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- Key moments where businesses struggled:<\/b> 89% of businesses who received an energy audit through the program did not proceed with upgrades.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- The most significant motivators<\/b> for businesses to complete the program were the financial incentives, the prospect of being more energy efficient, and helpful experiences with program staff.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n
- T<\/b><\/span>he most significant barriers<\/span> <\/b>to businesses completing the program were: <\/span>\n
\n- Confusion about how the program worked<\/b>,<\/span> and misunderstandings of what clients would receive through the program<\/span><\/li>\n
- Insufficient funding<\/span> <\/b>to cover the cost of upgrades<\/span><\/li>\n
- Difficulty finding contractors<\/b> to do the upgrades<\/span><\/li>\n
- Lack of proactive support<\/span> <\/b>from program staff<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/h5>\nSolutions to help small businesses succeed<\/span><\/h5>\nTo address the barriers that we discovered through the data analysis and client interviews, the project team implemented two solutions:<\/span><\/p>\n\n- A visual program map<\/b> that clearly outlines the steps of participating in the program was developed and published on the program website, and included on the program application to enhance visibility and help alleviate the barrier of client confusion about how the program worked.<\/span><\/li>\n
- Regular check-ins with program staff. <\/b>These proactive client support check-ins were added at two key moments in the program journey\u2013 after submitting an application and after receiving their audit report. Clients receive a phone call check-in with staff members which serve the dual purpose of having their questions answered and keeping them motivated to complete the next step in the process.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>
![](\"https:\/\/ponddeshpande.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/PEI-CES-website-map-black-1.png\" "\\"PEI")
<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Program staff identified several metrics to demonstrate whether the new program solutions were working and committed to reviewing the metrics regularly. So far, clients are responding well to the program changes. In the first six months after implementing the solutions, 68 percent of applicants participated in the first check-in call, and 58 percent of audit recipients participated in the second check-in call. Although still waiting for longer-term outcome data, the PEI staff said that clients have been more likely to continue through the program since the solutions were implemented.<\/strong> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\nThe Behavioural Insights process inspired some additional program improvements: program staff have started attending energy audits to provide in-person support to clients, and staff are reviewing options to increase the rebate available to clients. Staff have also been inspired to seek more regular client feedback, including asking clients if they find the audit reports easy to understand.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/span>Get Involved<\/h3><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div>Are you interested in learning more about applying Behavioural Insights to improve your business’s sustainability and competitiveness? Please read about Pond-Deshpande Centre’s Green Horizons project here<\/a> <\/a><\/span>and contact us at innovate@unb.ca.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>
Authors: <\/b>Anna Stromwell, Senior Advisor, BIT<\/span>Jessica Brown, Senior Advisor, Programs and Outreach, Government of PEI<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div> Many local and provincial governments offer programs to help small and medium-sized businesses become more energy efficient. However, participation in these programs can be low\u2013meaning that small businesses are not taking advantage of incentives that would reduce their costs and their impact on the environment. <\/span><\/p>\n Read on to discover how Prince Edward Island (PEI) used Behavioural Insights\u2013 findings from the study of real-world human behaviour and decision making\u2013 to improve its program and help businesses make energy-efficient upgrades.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Prince Edward Island (PEI) was struggling to engage businesses in its <\/span>Community Energy Solutions<\/a><\/span> program. It engaged the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT<\/a>)<\/span> to help strengthen the program through the application of Behavioural Insights. Behavioural science is the study of human behaviour and the ways that our actions are shaped by environmental and contextual factors. A <\/span>behavioural insights approach<\/a><\/span> is behavioural science in action.<\/span><\/p>\n The team began by <\/span>defining the key behaviours<\/b> for businesses to successfully complete the program. These behaviours included submitting an application, receiving an audit, planning the project scope, installing upgrades, and submitting invoices for rebates. <\/span><\/p>\n The team then conducted <\/span>data analysis and phone interviews<\/b> with past participants to understand the barriers that clients experienced at each step of the program. We found:<\/span><\/p>\n To address the barriers that we discovered through the data analysis and client interviews, the project team implemented two solutions:<\/span><\/p>\n Program staff identified several metrics to demonstrate whether the new program solutions were working and committed to reviewing the metrics regularly. So far, clients are responding well to the program changes. In the first six months after implementing the solutions, 68 percent of applicants participated in the first check-in call, and 58 percent of audit recipients participated in the second check-in call. Although still waiting for longer-term outcome data, the PEI staff said that clients have been more likely to continue through the program since the solutions were implemented.<\/strong> <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The Behavioural Insights process inspired some additional program improvements: program staff have started attending energy audits to provide in-person support to clients, and staff are reviewing options to increase the rebate available to clients. Staff have also been inspired to seek more regular client feedback, including asking clients if they find the audit reports easy to understand.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div> Are you interested in learning more about applying Behavioural Insights to improve your business’s sustainability and competitiveness? Please read about Pond-Deshpande Centre’s Green Horizons project here<\/a> <\/a><\/span>and contact us at innovate@unb.ca.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>Understanding barriers to program completion<\/span><\/h5>\n
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Solutions to help small businesses succeed<\/span><\/h5>\n
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<\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>Get Involved<\/h3><\/span>