Households make many decisions every day that affect the energy system. These include decisions that have an indirect impact, such as choosing between a cold or hot breakfast, or deciding which mode of transport to use to get to work depending on the weather. But households also make decisions that have a very direct impact, such as whether to install a photovoltaic system on the roof of their house, or whether to join a citizens’ group that opposes the construction of a power line in their community. The scientific investigation of the decision-making processes of households and individuals and how these can have a positive impact on the entire energy system is the content of the research focus Energy Behaviour, Engagement & Acceptance at the Energieinstitut an der JKU Linz.
To gain a comprehensive understanding of households and their decisions, we regularly conduct household surveys and field tests of new technologies or energy services. In recent years, for example, more than 30,000 households in all EU-27 countries have been surveyed on topics related to energy behavior, engagement & acceptance, or the acceptance of new load-based energy pricing models has been investigated in field tests.
