Unraveling the complexity: A taxonomy for characterizing and structuring smart energy services in the building sector

Abstract

Achieving climate goals requires restructuring the current energy systems, which, among other things, involves decentralizing energy systems. This entails new challenges, e.g., a high degree of coordination and information exchange. Especially the building sector, being the largest energy consumer, offers great improvement potential to reduce emissions. Smart energy services promise various benefits in overcoming these challenges, e.g., through optimized energy generation, demand control, and more efficient energy control systems. Although smart energy services are crucial to transitioning to a more sustainable, reliable, and intelligent energy (eco)system, research lacks a holistic perspective of their essential characteristics and configuration options due to their novelty and heterogeneity. Nevertheless, this perspective is crucial as service providers, service innovators (e.g., business development and start-ups), and researchers face problems developing and deploying value-adding and sustaining smart energy services. Consequently, this work identifies the essential characteristics of building-related smart energy services by reviewing scientific and practitioner literature. It structures them by developing a taxonomy and organizing them in 15 dimensions and 54 characteristics, along smart energy service structure, value creation, delivery, and energy-related data input. The taxonomy and the derived theoretical and managerial implications support researchers and practitioners in designing and conceptualizing future smart energy service innovations.