TED2013
Alex Laskey: How behavioral science can lower your energy bill
Alex Laskey: 行為科學如何減少你的能源支出
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減少能源支出的有效方法是什麼？你相信嗎：瞭解鄰居的能源支出情況。Alex Laskey以減少能源支出證明，一個奇妙的人類行為如何使我們成為更棒、更明智的能源使用者。
Alex Laskey - Energy software maker
Alex Laskey helps power companies to help their customers cut down -- using data analysis, marketing and a pinch of psychology. Full bio
Alex Laskey helps power companies to help their customers cut down -- using data analysis, marketing and a pinch of psychology. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
How many of you have checked your email today?
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在座有多少人今天查看過電子郵件？
00:15
Come on, raise your hands.
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好，請舉手
00:17
How many of you are checking it right now?
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有多少人現在正在查看？
00:19
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
00:20
And how about finances? Anybody check that today?
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金融帳戶呢？今天有人查看了嗎？
00:23
Credit card, investment account?
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信用卡、投資帳戶呢？
00:25
How about this week?
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本週內有看過的？
00:29
Now, how about your household energy use?
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好，家庭能源使用情況呢？
00:32
Anybody check that today?
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今天有人查看過嗎？
00:34
This week? Last week?
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這星期或上星期？
00:38
A few energy geeks spread out across the room.
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現場有幾位能源達人
00:41
It's good to see you guys.
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很高興見到你們
00:44
But the rest of us -- this is a room filled with people
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但其餘聽眾－這個房間裡擠滿
00:47
who are passionate about the future of this planet,
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關心地球未來的人
00:50
and even we aren't paying attention
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即使我們這些人
00:52
to the energy use that's driving climate change.
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對導致氣候變化的能源使用都不甚在意
00:55
The woman in the photo with me is Harriet.
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這位與我合照的女士名叫 Harriet
00:58
We met her on our first family vacation.
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我們是在第一次全家出遊時碰到她的
01:00
Harriet's paying attention to her energy use,
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Harriet 十分關心能源使用情況
01:03
and she is decidedly not an energy geek.
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但她絕非能源達人
01:05
This is the story of how Harriet came to pay attention.
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我想分享的是
為何Harriet開始關心能源使用的故事
為何Harriet開始關心能源使用的故事
01:11
This is coal,
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這是煤炭
01:13
the most common source of electricity on the planet,
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地球上最常見的電力來源
01:16
and there's enough energy in this coal
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這些煤炭蘊藏足夠的能量
01:19
to light this bulb for more than a year.
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可點亮這個燈泡超過一年
01:23
But unfortunately, between here and here,
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但不幸的是，從這裡到這裡
01:25
most of that energy is lost to things
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大部分能量
01:27
like transmission leakage and heat.
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因傳導和熱能消耗等因素而流失
01:30
In fact, only 10 percent ends up as light.
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事實上，最後只有
10% 能量以光能形式呈現
10% 能量以光能形式呈現
01:33
So this coal will last a little bit more than a month.
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因此這些煤炭僅能維持一個多月的照明
01:37
If you wanted to light this bulb for a year,
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如果你想讓這個燈泡照明一年
01:40
you'd need this much coal.
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需使用這麼多煤炭
01:45
The bad news here is that, for every unit of energy we use,
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壞消息是，每當我們使用一單位能量
01:48
we waste nine.
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即浪費九單位能量
01:50
That means there's good news,
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這意味著其中也有好消息
01:52
because for every unit of energy we save,
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因為每當我們節省一單位能量
01:54
we save the other nine.
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即省下其餘九單位能量
01:58
So the question is, how can we get the people in this room
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因此問題在於
我們如何使現場聽眾
我們如何使現場聽眾
02:03
and across the globe to start paying attention
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及全世界的人開始關心
02:06
to the energy we're using,
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我們所使用的能源
02:08
and start wasting less of it?
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並開始減少能源浪費？
02:11
The answer comes from a behavioral science experiment
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答案來自某個行為科學實驗
02:13
that was run one hot summer, 10 years ago,
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於十年前一個炎熱的夏天進行
02:17
and only 90 miles from here,
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實驗場所位於距離這裡只有90英哩
02:19
in San Marcos, California.
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的加州聖馬克斯
02:22
Graduate students put signs on every door in a neighborhood,
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研究生在某街區的每扇門上貼紙條
02:25
asking people to turn off their air conditioning
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請住戶關上空調
02:28
and turn on their fans.
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使用電扇
02:30
One quarter of the homes received a message that said,
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四分之一住戶收到的訊息是
02:32
did you know you could save 54 dollars a month this summer?
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「知道嗎？
這個夏季你每月可省下54美元」
這個夏季你每月可省下54美元」
02:34
Turn off your air conditioning, turn on your fans.
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「只要關上空調，使用電扇」
02:36
Another group got an environmental message.
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另一組收到的是與環保有關的訊息
02:38
And still a third group got a message about
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第三組收到的訊息是
02:40
being good citizens, preventing blackouts.
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「做個好公民，避免造成停電」
02:43
Most people guessed that money-saving message would work best of all.
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多數人預測節省開支的訊息效果最佳
02:47
In fact, none of these messages worked.
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事實上，沒有一條訊息起作用
02:49
They had zero impact on energy consumption.
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它們對能源消耗情況沒有任何影響
02:52
It was as if the grad students hadn't shown up at all.
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彷彿那些研究生從來沒有造訪過
02:56
But there was a fourth message,
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但還有第四條訊息
02:58
and this message simply said,
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這條訊息只寫著
03:00
"When surveyed, 77 percent of your neighbors
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「根據調查，你有 77 % 鄰居」
03:04
said that they turned off their air conditioning and turned on their fans.
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「說他們關上空調，使用電扇」
03:06
Please join them. Turn off your air conditioning
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「請加入他們的行列，
03:08
and turn on your fans."
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關上空調，使用電扇」
03:10
And wouldn't you know it, they did.
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你們猜怎麼著？他們如法炮製
03:12
The people who received this message
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收到這則訊息的人
03:14
showed a marked decrease in energy consumption
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顯著地減少了能源消耗
03:17
simply by being told what their neighbors were doing.
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只因得知鄰居的做法
03:20
So what does this tell us?
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因此，這告訴我們什麼？
03:22
Well, if something is inconvenient,
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好，如果某件事令人感到不便
03:24
even if we believe in it,
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即使我們深信不疑
03:26
moral suasion, financial incentives, don't do much to move us --
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道德勸說、經濟鼓勵
不會使我們產生多少動力
不會使我們產生多少動力
03:30
but social pressure, that's powerful stuff.
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但社會壓力則是十分強大的力量
03:34
And harnessed correctly, it can be a powerful force for good.
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若正確使用
可成為有益事物的強大力量
可成為有益事物的強大力量
03:37
In fact, it already is.
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確實如此
03:39
Inspired by this insight, my friend Dan Yates and I
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受到這個觀點的啟發，我和朋友 Dan Yates
03:42
started a company called Opower.
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成立一間名叫 Opower 的公司
03:44
We built software and partnered with utility companies
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我們建構軟體，與希望幫助
03:47
who wanted to help their customers save energy.
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顧客節約能源的公共事業公司合作
03:49
We deliver personalized home energy reports
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我們寄送個人化家庭能源報告
03:53
that show people how their consumption
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讓人們瞭解他們的能源消耗量
03:54
compares to their neighbors in similar-sized homes.
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和擁有尺寸相近房屋之鄰居的比較值
03:57
Just like those effective door hangers,
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如同那些效果絕佳的門上留言
03:59
we have people comparing themselves to their neighbors,
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我們讓住戶與鄰居進行比較
04:02
and then we give everyone targeted recommendations
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然後給他們目標性建議
04:04
to help them save.
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幫助他們節約能源
04:06
We started with paper, we moved to a mobile application,
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我們從紙本開始，發展到手機應用程式
04:08
web, and now even a controllable thermostat,
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網路，甚至恒溫控制器
04:11
and for the last five years we've been running
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過去五年中，我們持續進行
04:13
the largest behavioral science experiment in the world.
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世上最大的行為科學實驗
04:18
And it's working.
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它確實有效
04:19
Ordinary homeowners and renters have saved
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一般住戶及租屋者至今已省下
04:21
more than 250 million dollars on their energy bills,
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超過2億5千萬美元的能源支出
04:25
and we're just getting started.
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這只是最初成效
04:26
This year alone, in partnership with more than 80 utilities
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光是今年，我們與超過80個公共機構合作
04:29
in six countries, we're going to generate
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遍及六個國家，我們正致力於
04:32
another two terawatt hours of electricity savings.
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額外節省2兆瓦小時用電量
04:35
Now, the energy geeks in the room know two terawatt hours,
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好，現場的能源達人瞭解何謂2兆瓦小時
04:37
but for the rest of us, two terawatt hours
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但為了讓其餘聽眾瞭解，2兆瓦小時能量
04:39
is more than enough energy to power every home
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足以供應聖路易斯及鹽湖城所有家庭
04:42
in St. Louis and Salt Lake City combined
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足以供應聖路易斯及鹽湖城所有家庭
04:45
for more than a year.
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超過一年的用電量
04:47
Two terawatt hours, it's roughly half
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2兆瓦小時相當於
04:49
what the U.S. solar industry produced last year.
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去年美國太陽能工業產量的一半
04:52
And two terawatt hours? In terms of coal,
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2兆瓦小時，以煤炭計算
04:55
we'd need to burn 34 of these wheelbarrows
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每分鐘需燃燒相當於34輛手推車的煤炭
04:58
every minute around the clock every day for an entire year
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持續燃燒一整年
05:02
to get two terawatt hours of electricity.
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才能產生2兆瓦小時電力
05:04
And we're not burning anything.
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我們不需要燃燒任何東西
05:06
We're just motivating people to pay attention
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我們只是促使人們關心能源問題
05:07
and change their behavior.
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改變他們的行為
05:10
But we're just one company, and this is just
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但我們只是一家公司，
05:13
scratching the surface.
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這只是初步嘗試
05:15
Twenty percent of the electricity in homes is wasted,
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家用電力有 20% 遭到浪費
05:18
and when I say wasted, I don't mean that people have
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我所謂的浪費，並非指人們使用
05:20
inefficient lightbulbs. They may.
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低效率燈泡，這無傷大雅
05:24
I mean we leave the lights on in empty rooms,
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我指的是空無一人的房間仍亮著燈
05:27
and we leave the air conditioning on when nobody's home.
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家中空無一人時仍開著空調
05:30
That's 40 billion dollars a year wasted
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這導致每年浪費價值400億美元的電力
05:33
on electricity that does not contribute to our well-being
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這對生活來說不構成影響
05:36
but does contribute to climate change.
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卻足以導致氣候變化
05:39
That's 40 billion -- with a B --
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400億美元
05:41
every year in the U.S. alone.
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僅是美國每年浪費的電力價值
05:43
That's half our coal usage right there.
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相當於我國一半的煤炭使用量
05:47
Now thankfully, some of the world's best material scientists
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現在，值得慶幸的是
一些世上最傑出的材料科學家
一些世上最傑出的材料科學家
05:50
are looking to replace coal with sustainable resources
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正致力於尋找替代煤炭的可持續能源
05:53
like these,
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例如這些（風力發電）
05:54
and this is both fantastic and essential.
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這是很棒且必要的
05:58
But the most overlooked resource to get us
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但使我們邁向可持續能源的未來
06:00
to a sustainable energy future, it isn't on this slide.
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卻最被忽視的資源，
並未顯示在這張投影片上
並未顯示在這張投影片上
06:03
It's in this room. It's you, and it's me.
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它在這個房間裡，那就是你們，還有我
06:08
And we can harness this resource
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我們可以駕馭這種資源
06:11
with no new material science
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不需使用新型材料科學技術
06:12
simply by applying behavioral science.
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只需應用行為科學
06:16
We can do it today, we know it works,
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我們可以從今天開始
我們知道它確實有效
我們知道它確實有效
06:18
and it will save us money right away.
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可立即替我們省錢
06:21
So what are we waiting for?
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那我們還等什麼？
06:24
Well, in most places, utility regulation
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好，在大部分地區，公共事業的監管
06:27
hasn't changed much since Thomas Edison.
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自愛迪生以來並無多大改變
06:31
Utilities are still rewarded when their customers
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公共事業依然獎勵消費者
06:34
waste energy.
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浪費能源
06:36
They ought to be rewarded for helping their customers save it.
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他們應該因幫助消費者節約能源而獲得獎勵
06:40
But this story is much more than about household energy use.
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但這個故事不僅是關於家庭能源的使用
06:43
Take a look at the Prius.
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以Prius為例
（Toyota生產的油電混合動力車）
（Toyota生產的油電混合動力車）
06:45
It's efficient not only because Toyota invested in material science
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它的高效能不僅是因為
Toyota 投入材料科學研發
Toyota 投入材料科學研發
06:48
but because they invested in behavioral science.
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也因為他們應用了行為科學
06:50
The dashboard that shows drivers how much energy
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駕駛可從儀表板得知
06:53
they're saving in real time
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即時節約了多少能源
06:55
makes former speed demons
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使之前的飆車大王
06:56
drive more like cautious grandmothers.
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變得更像謹慎的祖母
06:59
Which brings us back to Harriet.
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這讓我們的故事回到 Harriet 身上
07:01
We met her on our first family vacation.
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我們是在第一次全家出遊活動中與她相遇
07:04
She came over to meet my young daughter,
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她上前來看我的小女兒
07:06
and she was tickled to learn that my daughter's name
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很高興知道
07:08
is also Harriet.
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我女兒也叫Harriet
07:10
She asked me what I did for a living,
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她問我從事什麼工作
07:11
and I told her, I work with utilities
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我告訴她，我與公共事業機構合作
07:13
to help people save energy.
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協助人們節約能源
07:15
It was then that her eyes lit up.
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此時她雙眼亮了起來
07:17
She looked at me, and she said,
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她看著我說
07:19
"You're exactly the person I need to talk to.
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「你正是我想請教的人」
07:21
You see, two weeks ago, my husband and I got a letter
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「你知道，兩星期前，我和丈夫收到一封信」
07:23
in the mail from our utility.
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「來自公共事業機構」
07:26
It told us we were using twice as much energy as our neighbors."
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「說我們使用的能源比鄰居多2倍」
07:29
(Laughter)
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（笑聲）
07:32
"And for the last two weeks, all we can think about,
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「過去兩星期中，我們所思考的」
07:35
talk about, and even argue about,
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「討論的、甚至爭論的」
07:37
is what we should be doing to save energy.
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「全是該怎麼做才能節約能源」
07:39
We did everything that letter told us to do,
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「我們依照信件指示一一實行」
07:42
and still I know there must be more.
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「但我知道必定不只如此」
07:45
Now I'm here with a genuine expert.
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「現在我身邊是一位如假包換的專家」
07:47
Tell me. What should I do to save energy?"
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「請告訴我，怎麼做才能節約能源？」
07:51
There are many experts who can help answer Harriet's question.
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有太多專家能回答 Harriet 的問題
07:55
My goal is to make sure
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我的目標是確保
07:57
we are all asking it.
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每個人都會提出這個問題
08:00
Thank you.
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謝謝
08:01
(Applause)
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（掌聲）
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Alex Laskey - Energy software makerAlex Laskey helps power companies to help their customers cut down -- using data analysis, marketing and a pinch of psychology.
Why you should listen
What's a powerful way to help people use less power at home? Pit them against their neighbors. As founder and president of Opower, Alex Laskey helps utlity companies show customers, right on their utility bills, where their own house sits on the spectrum of neighborhood energy wasters -- and how to beat the game. It seems silly, but the large-scale reductions in energy usage are no joke.
Opower works with more than 80 utilities on three continents, and serves over 15 million customers. Since its launch in 2008, it has cumulatively saved utility customers more than $200 million and 2 terawatt hours (TWh) of energy -- enough to power a city of more than a quarter million people. It's all through a powerful combination of behavioral science, data analytics and good marketing.
In the next twelve months, Opower is on track to save another 1 TWh, equivalent to more than one half the generation of the entire US solar power plant industry in 2011. In May 2016, Opower was bought by Oracle.
Alex Laskey | Speaker | TED.com