The ENABLE.EU project: enabling the Energy Union by understanding the drivers of energy choices
What drives the energy choices we make? What motivates individuals, organisations, and countries to adopt more sustainable energy behaviours?
By addressing these questions, ENABLE.EU (www.enable-eu.com), a new project funded under the Horizon 2020 programme, is taking a bottom-up approach to changing energy behaviour: empowering consumers and citizens to make freer and better-informed energy choices – choices that reflect what they truly want.
ENABLE.EU will provide a better understanding of the social, economic, cultural and governance aspects of energy decisions, and how these can differ from one country to another. In addition, it will identify the key bottlenecks that discourage energy transitions as well as the factors that motivate people to change.
It will give us a realistic picture of the challenges and drivers for energy research and innovation, and develop strategies to facilitate the transition to a system that will deliver clean energy to all Europeans. Finally, the project will formulate a series of policy recommendations to encourage the adaptation of both new and existing environmental technologies by businesses and individuals.
The key socio-economic drivers of individual and collective energy choices will be determined by analysing the interrelation between various factors, such as social norms, belief systems, everyday practices and economic aspects. This analysis will be enhanced through a cross-country comparison in 11 nations, to better comprehend the factors that drive or impede everyday routines and practices.
This improved understanding of people’s motivations will increase social acceptance, making citizens active participants in the consumption and production of energy.
To find out more, go to the website: www.ENABLE-EU.com or connect to the project on LinkedIn and Twitter.
