Volume 64

Gamified interaction experiments for uncovering economic incentives’ impact on household appliance flexibility Jialin Wu, Jiajing Gao, Yi Zhang, He Qi

Abstract

Economic incentive-driven demand response is key to shaping residential electricity consumption patterns, yet current strategies often lack appliance-level incentive models for household energy systems, coupled with difficulties in collecting behavioral data. Therefore, an interactive gamified simulation platform has been developed, where users can independently manage appliances, weighing economic rewards against discomfort from adjusted usage. A System Usability Scale (SUS) evaluation confirms the platform’s usability and reliability. Experimental findings highlight a non linear association between economic incentives and the acceptable adjustment range of common appliances: the adjustable range expands sharply when incentives increase from 1 to 3 yuan, but further increments yield diminishing returns in flexibility. Notably, air conditioners and water heaters demonstrate the highest flexibility potential, with 0.5 kWh and 1.5 kWh of regulatable capacity respectively under a 2-yuan incentive. Overall, the quantitative models obtained in
this study can provide data support for appliances adjustable potential, and help to realize more humanized home energy management which meet user needs and preferences.

Keywords household energy management, gamified interaction, economic incentive, residential appliances, demand flexibility