Renewable Energy Cooperatives as a Stimulating Factor in Household Energy Savings

Journal article (2019)

Authors

T. Hoppe Organisation & Governance - TPM
Frans Coenen University of Twente
Maria T. Bekendam Tilburg University
Research Group
Organisation & Governance (TPM) (TU Delft)
Copyright: © 2019 T. Hoppe, Frans Coenen, Maria T. Bekendam
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/en12071188
Energy efficiency Energy conservation Energy savings Renewable energy cooperative Community energy Grassroots initiative Energy consumption behavior
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Published Date

2019

Language

English

Reuse Rights

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Faculty

Technology, Policy and Management

Department

Multi Actor Systems

Research Group

Organisation & Governance

Abstract

Little is known about how renewable energy cooperatives (REScoops) try to influence energy conservation among households and the resulting impact. In this article the main research question is: What is the predictive value of renewable energy cooperatives on intention to save energy, engagement in energy-saving actions, and self-reported energy conservation by households? A survey was conducted to answer this question. Data analysis involved multivariate and binary logistic regression on data from two cooperatives: Ecopower (Belgium; N = 1000) and Enercoop (France; N = 8290). Results show that in addition to psychological and socio-demographic variables, REScoop items modestly contribute to the explained variation in engagement in energy-saving actions and reported energy conservation. At Enercoop 18.2% of the respondents indicated that their cooperative contributed to household energy savings; for Ecopower this figure was 36.9%. Moreover, at Enercoop, 38.7% of the respondents reported consuming less energy since obtaining cooperative membership; at Ecopower this was 64.7%. The article concludes with suggestions for future research.