Evaluating the effect of life-cycle cost disclosure on consumer behavior. Evidence from two randomized online field experiments with household appliances.
"Life-cycle cost = price + operating cost"In our experiments, consumers who were actually shopping for appliances were shown life-cycle cost estimates
 1. for cooling appliances at a price comparison website and
2. for washing machines in an online shop.
As a result, those users who randomly received the life-cycle cost information clicked on somewhat more energy-efficient appliances, on average, than those users who did not see life-cycle cost. More detailed results on consumer behavior and business implications can be found in the publications. Sample screenshots of the experimental websites (click to enlarge):  | Project partners:
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