Energy Communities Promoting Home Energy Savings: Interventions, Theory and Results

Next to encouraging local residents to adopt solar panels or buy wind park shares energy communities have a role in stimulating home energy savings. In this chapter two questions are addressed: (1) How do energy communities encourage their members and others to do this? And (2) To which extent are energy communities effective in doing so? Results show that energy communities - often organized in renewable energy cooperatives (REScoops) - influence local households in three ways: via membership, general engagement activities, or specific dedicated measures. And rarely do energy communities operate alone. They are supported by intermediary agents, and it is not uncommon that they cooperate with local government to co-produce energy saving services. Empirical studies indicate that energy communities are well positioned and fairly capable of encouraging households to save energy—ranging between 4–6 per cent.