Description

The heating sector is critical for the energy transition, accounting for a major share of household carbon emissions. In Germany, over 70% of heating still depends on fossil fuels. As heating electrifies through heat pumps, grid stability increasingly relies on flexible household electricity consumption. While demand-side flexibility offers significant potential to support grid stability, household participation remains unknown.

Successful demand response requires residents to understand their heating systems, energy consumption patterns, and potential contributions to grid stability. This knowledge and the associated behaviors can be captured through the concept of heating literacy.

This thesis addresses this topic through two objectives: First, conduct a systematic literature review of existing surveys on energy literacy, heating knowledge, and flexibility behaviors. Second, develop a validated questionnaire to measure heating literacy in residential settings, providing a foundation for future empirical research on household participation in heating flexibility programs.

Objectives

• Evaluating developments in energy knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among households
• Designing a questionnaire to measure the enery literacy and knowledge in heating sector

Formalities

The thesis can be undertaken in German or English. The project is ready to commence immediately.

Introductory Literature

[1]: Bluhm, S., Staudt, P., Speck, C., & Weinhardt, C. (2023, September). Ensuring energy affordability through digital technology: A research model and intervention design. In International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik (pp. 21-37). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.

[2]: Sovacool, B. K., Cabeza, L. F., Pisello, A. L., Colladon, A. F., Larijani, H. M., Dawoud, B., & Martiskainen, M. (2021). Decarbonizing household heating: Reviewing demographics, geography and low-carbon practices and preferences in five European countries. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 139, 110703.