Motivational factors influencing the homeowners’ decisions between residential heating systems: An empirical analysis for Germany

Harnessing social networks for promoting adoption of energy technologies in the domestic sector

“…Coltrane et al (1986), Darley and Beniger (1981), and, in relation to climate change, Maibach et al (2008). In addition, there has been some recent empirical work on the role of social networks in the diffusion of energy innovations (McMichael and Shipworth, 2013;Michelsen and Madlener, 2013;Fell et al, 2009). …”

User motivation, energy prosumers, and regional diversity: sociological notes on using shallow geothermal energy

“…Results of these studies show that funding programs are not the main reason, if any, to decide for a GSHP facility. Especially when compared to decisions on other renewable energy technologies, the availability of public funding and other financial incentives for heat pumps generally and for GSHP more specifically is less important in decision-making (Michelsen and Madlener 2013;Hee et al 2013). However, a study on microgeneration technologies in the UK revealed that those deciding against a GSHP did so due to purchase price and limited coverage of grants (Caird and Roy 2011).…”

“…Interviews, online forums, and existing studies reveal that the idea of organizing its own energy independence on the household level is a strong individual motivation that comes into play in decision-making (cf. Sawillion 2010; Michelsen and Madlener 2013;Fall 2014). Finally, studies in Germany and in the UK reveal that a certain number of homeowners are technology enthusiasts who willingly carry out their own experiments with the innovative heating system (Michelsen and Madlener 2013;Fall 2014;Sawillion 2010;Caird and Roy 2011), despite uncertainty, e.g., as regards any knowledge about the project's payback period or clearly defined economic incentives.…”

What are the potential end customers of the heat market like? The customer segmentation challenge on the heat market

“…Some researchers found the socio-economic factors, such as aging (Mahapatra et al, 2008), household income (Kasanen et al, 1989), number of children (Wilhite et al, 1999) or economic factors such as high operation, maintenance and fuel costs (Mahapatra et al, 2008;Caird et al, 2008). Others emphasized the influence of energy saving from the perspective of environmental consciousness (Keirstead, 2007;Caird et al, 2008) or the motivating role of governmental subsidies and grants (Michelsen et al, 2013;Wallace et al, 2010). Other former models found that the breakdown of former heating product motivates end customers for purchase (Mahapatra et al, 2008;Hallin, 1989;Stolyarova et al, 2015).…”

“…This study also pointed on the fact that companies -in this case heat suppliers -don't deal with the social factors of end customers characteristics, their needs and attitudes based on they might offer specific, tailored services. Michelsen et al (2013) researched the underlying motivation behind the adoption of diverse residential heating systems (conventional versus innovative heating technologies) and clustered the potential end customers into the following groups, based on the adopted heating technology:…”