Public Perception on the Sustainable Energy Transition in Rural Finland: A Multi-criteria Approach

Raghu Kc (), Jarno Föhr () and Tapio Ranta ()
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Raghu Kc: Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT
Jarno Föhr: Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT
Tapio Ranta: Lappeenranta-Lahti University of Technology LUT

Circular Economy and Sustainability, 2023, vol. 3, issue 2, 735-755

Abstract: Abstract Heating is the most energy-intensive sector worldwide as well as in Europe and Finland. About 37% of the heat produced in Finland is still produced with fossil fuels, including 5.5% with fossil fuel oil (FFO). Phasing out FFO from the energy mix in compliance to Finnish carbon neutrality target is complicated because of the decentralized use all over the country, especially in rural Finland. There have been policies and financial instruments targeted for replacement of FFO-fired heating systems, but the rate of heating system renovation has been slow as there are still about 300,000 FFO and gas-fired heating systems nationwide. In this study, we conducted a survey of homeowners with FFO heating systems and asked about their willingness to renovate their heating system. In addition, we asked them to prioritize their sustainability criteria and we ranked them using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP). The first part of the results show that younger homeowners are more interested in more sustainable modes of heating. Further, the results also show that the willingness to undergo an FFO heating system renovation is higher among respondents with university degrees compared to respondents with high-school and upper secondary educations. The second part of the results show that the economy and environment were given the equally highest priority ratings compared to technological and social criteria. However, older and university degree-educated respondents emphasized environmental criteria, climate change and renewable energy indicators more than their younger and high-school graduate counterparts.

Keywords: Energy; Renewable; Heating; Sustainability; Fossil oil; Energy transition; Public perception (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1007/s43615-022-00206-5

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