A consumer-satisfaction model to foster consumer participation in digital sustainable energy systems

Abstract

Active consumers lie at the heart of the energy transition towards digital sustainable energy systems. With digital technologies becoming more prevalent in smart homes and factories, there exists an array of opportunities for energy consumers to play an active role in the energy system and gain economic as well as ecological benefits, e.g., by generating renewable electricity themselves. Once consumers seize these opportunities, it affects the characteristics of consumed or sold energy, which we refer to as energy features (e.g., electricity price or regionality). To foster active consumer participation, understanding consumers’ preferences regarding energy features is imperative. We survey 401 private and 40 industrial consumers in Germany and analyze consumer satisfaction building on the Kano Model. Our results reveal which energy features are most important to foster consumer satisfaction and which are less important. Thus, they provide valuable insights on how to successfully foster active consumer participation in digital sustainable energy systems.