Shedding light on energy choices: An overview of ENABLE.EU

What are the challenges we face in transitioning to cleaner, more sustainable energy? How can we nudge consumers towards better choices?

ENABLE.EU – Enabling the Energy Union, funded by the European Commission's Horizon 2020 programme, wants to find out the answer to these questions. The thing is, how we make decisions in various energy-related areas, from how to get to work to how we heat our homes, is not always as logical and clear-cut as it would seem. That is, it’s not a straightforward question of costs vs. benefits, but rather a more complex equation that includes such hard-to-quantify variables such as social approval and cultural norms. 

The heat is on: The transnational survey and case studies

A flash of inspiration: What do we already know about energy choices?

As the first year of ENABLE.EU draws to a close, a comprehensive bibliography and a literature review have been published on the website. Covering over four hundred scientific articles, the state-of-the-art review of the literature examines the social and economic drivers of individual and collective energy choices.

Illuminating the way: How to make low carbon more socially acceptable

Changing habits is never easy, and this goes not only for individuals but also for governments. Long-term objectives are often eclipsed by short-term considerations, and disruption can be uncomfortable, painful and expensive. Transitioning to cleaner energy will entail a sea change in deeply entrenched attitudes, practices and systems. So how can we get all of the actors in a given context – from the energy industry to local governments and consumer associations – to work together to make this shift happen?

Creating sparks: ENABLE.EU events

In the first year of the project, ENABLE.EU held two project meetings and began a series of national focus groups, designed to find out what energy challenges people face in everyday life. 2018 will bring  workshops on governance and transitions. To stay informed about the project’s initiatives and results, subscribe to our mailing list and join us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Your bright ideas: Join the conversation on energy transitions

In April 2017, ENABLE.EU launched its website at www.enable-eu.com. It features information about the Energy Union, the project, its target groups and expected impacts, and the consortium. Users can download the project’s leaflet in English, German, Spanish, French, Italian and Polish, learn more about the project by taking a look at the project presentation, and read the published deliverables.