How (Co-)Ownership in Renewables Improves Heating Usage Behaviour and the Willingness to Adopt Energy-Efficient Technologies—Data from German Households

Renan Magalhães (), Jens Lowitzsch and Federico Narracci
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Renan Magalhães: Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Europa-University Viadrina, 15230 Frankfurt (Oder), Germany
Jens Lowitzsch: Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Europa-University Viadrina, 15230 Frankfurt (Oder), Germany
Federico Narracci: Kelso Institute Europe, 10965 Berlin, Germany

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 12, 1-26

Abstract: In the housing sector emission reduction builds on a shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources and increasing the efficiency of energy usage, with heating playing a dominant role in comparison to that of electricity. For electricity production in the residential sector, research shows that different settings of (co-)ownership in renewables are linked to a greater tendency to invest in energy-efficient devices or to adopt more energy-conscious behaviours. The empirical analysis demonstrates that fully-fledged prosumers, i.e., consumers who have the option to choose between self-consumption and selling to third parties or the grid, exhibit a higher tendency to invest in energy efficiency and that only this group manifests a greater likelihood of engaging in conscious-energy consumption behaviour. This paper extends the analysis to include heating in the residential sector. The study conducted an ANCOVA based on a sample of 2585 German households. The findings show that, depending on the (co-)ownership setting, the willingness to invest and to adopt energy-efficient practices grows considerably. Consumer-sellers demonstrate the highest willingness to invest and adapt energy conscious behaviour. Furthermore, regarding heating in particular, self-consumers are also inclined to invest and engage in energy-savings behaviour.

Keywords: co-ownership; energy-efficient technologies; renewable energy; energy-conscious behaviour; heating systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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