Reducing Dependence on Central Electric Heating Systems: An Evaluation of an Experimental Program

In 1983 a major utility company conducted an experimental program that placed a portable electric heater into each of 140 households with central electric heat. A pretest-posttest control group design was used to determine whether the use of a single portable electric heater could significantly reduce electricity consumption. Analysis of covariance was employed using the 1982 winter kWh consumption and square footage of the home as covariates. The results indicate that the treatment group had an average monthly kWh consumption for the 1983 winter that was 108 kWh lower than the control group.