Engaging Electricity Users in Italy, Denmark, Spain, and France in Demand-Side Management Solutions

Abstract

AbstractThis paper presents the process of uncovering the motivations and barriers for adopting innovative solutions to increase the flexibility of electricity demand among individual consumers. Currently, efforts are being made to decarbonize electricity production with distributed solar and wind renewable energy installations. Such a shift in energy production also requires significant changes on the consumption side, in particular making demand more flexible to match the current situation in the power grid. The challenge in designing demand-side solutions is to accurately identify the needs of individual users so that they are motivated to take advantage of new solutions. Using data from a quantitative survey of electricity consumers in four countries (Italy, Denmark, Spain, France) on energy literacy, values and attitudes towards energy saving and technology, a cluster analysis was carried out which identified five types of electricity users. The segments defined in this way were the basis for conducting qualitative creative workshops with experts dealing with modern solutions in the field of energy and with individual electricity users. Subsequently, this information was supplemented with theoretical knowledge from the field of economic psychology regarding decision making, cognitive processes and motivation. This method allowed, already at the early stage of innovation design, to identify motivations and barriers specific to individual groups of users. The designers of innovative solutions received valuable clues as to how new technologies should be designed in order to ensure that they are well aligned with the habits, needs and rhythm of daily routines of the users.