Theme 5: Behaviour in the Energy Transition

Project 5.2: Strategies for promoting energy efficiency renovations in the Dutch owner-occupied sector

Despite the increasing value proposition associated with energy efficiency renovations in owner-occupied homes, there is still a need to understand the cognitive biases and hidden barriers (“transaction costs”) standing in the way of energy efficiency renovations. This project focuses on:

  • Diagnosing cognitive biases of homeowners during the renovation process: This will be done through desktop research, the development of a conceptual framework, surveys among households, interviews municipal representatives, lab experiments and data analysis.
  • Assessing hidden barriers (the “transaction costs”) for energy efficiency renovations: This will be done through desktop research, the development of a conceptual framework, surveys among households, a focus group, interviews with suggested municipal representatives, empirical research and data analysis.
  • Provide homeowners with a hassle-free decision-making process for energy efficiency renovations: This will be done through nudges and interventions.

Partners: TU Delft, Gemeente Den Haag, Gemeente Amsterdam, Enpuls (Buurkracht), MilieuCentraal
TU Delft Researchers:

  • Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment: Shima Ebrahimi (PhD Researcher), Shutong He (PhD Researcher), Queena Qian (Project leader)
  • Faculty of Technology, Policy & Management: Gerdien de Vries 

Timeline: 2020 – 2023

Project Results