Projects and cooperations

Human-induced climate change has far-reaching negative effects on nature and people that go beyond natural climate fluctuations. The largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities is the burning of fossil fuels for energy and transportation. In Europe, buildings are the largest single source of energy consumption, accounting for around 40% of total energy consumption and 36% of total greenhouse gas emissions. Heating, cooling and water heating account for 80% of the energy we citizens consume. Consumers are therefore at the heart of the energy transition, which is essential to curb the climate crisis. Through various initiatives and legislation, the European Union and governments around the world are trying to convince consumers of the need to reduce their individual energy consumption, but also to achieve more autonomy in energy supply and a more responsible use of valuable resources. In addition to increasing access to an affordable, reliable and adequate energy supply, the main challenges are to

• Encouraging consumers to use energy efficiently,
• expanding the use of renewable energies
• promote decentralized energy production from renewable energy sources, and (d) accelerate the diffusion and deployment of advanced energy technologies (e.g. smart meters).

The transition to a low-carbon future based on renewable energy sources requires significant behavioral changes on the part of consumers and leads to a new role for citizens: from passive energy consumers to active energy citizens. The central aim of the proposed project is to support consumers in this transition to actively engage in energy consumption geared towards sustainability. In an interdisciplinary psychological-legal framework, psychological insights will form the basis for the development of interventions that enable consumers to meet the EU's regulatory targets. Within the framework of six studies, we will focus on

1. the development of a valid scale to measure sustainable energy behaviors
2. identifying variables and mechanisms to predict active and sustainable energy behavior and
3. embedding this knowledge in interventions that can be implemented through legislation.

With this theory-practice approach, we are following a growing trend to incorporate research findings into decision-making processes and policy-making. Such approaches have the potential to make European energy market policy more effective so that its goals - decarbonization, climate crisis mitigation and consumer protection - can be achieved more effectively.