Which (co-)ownership types in renewables are associated with the willingness to adopt energy-efficient technologies and energy-conscious behaviour? Data from German households

Abstract

Emission reduction in the energy sector is built on two main pillars: a shift from fossil fuels to renewable sources and using available energy more efficiently. While renewable electricity production experienced a substantial acceleration in capacity building in the past ten years, energy demand - despite longstanding policy efforts – is still constantly on the rise worldwide. This paper combines both aspects analysing whether different (co-)ownership types in renewables in the residential sector are associated with an increased inclination to invest in energy-efficient appliances or to behave more energy consciously. To do so, we estimate an analysis of covariance using a sample with demographic and electricity consumption data from 1454 German households. Our results show that, in general, (co-)owners of renewable energy installations are more willing to invest in energy-efficient technologies than people who are not involved with renewables. However, there are differences between (co-)ownership types. People who have the choice between self-consumption and sale to third parties or the grid, i.e., fully-fledged prosumers, show the strongest inclination to invest in energy efficiency. Further, when analysing energy savings through adapted behaviour, solely this (co-)ownership group shows an increased propensity for conscious energy consumption behaviour.