Insights from a conjoint study on the attractiveness of energy communities
- 1Department of Psychology, University of Graz
- 2Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology
- 3Department of Physics, University of Graz
Abstract
Energy communities are gaining prominence across Europe, but little is known about factors that motivate individuals to join them. This study investigates how social, legal, technical factors, as well as person-specific characteristics shape motivation to participate in ECs beyond financial considerations. Using a conjoint experimental design in an Austrian online survey (N = 554), we examined preferences across multiple EC profiles per person. Results indicate that participants slightly preferred ECs organized as associations over corporate or company-based entities, and favored comprehensive energy usage models (e.g., combining electricity and heating) over more narrowly focused applications. There was also limited evidence for a preference toward socially diverse communities. At the individual level, motivation to join an EC was most strongly associated with positive attitudes toward public service, followed by weaker effects of future orientation and biospheric values. We discuss the results in the light of emerging perspectives on energy citizenship, highlighting individuals as active contributors rather than passive consumers in the energy transition.
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BibTeX
@article{brohmer2026insights,
title = {{Insights from a conjoint study on the attractiveness of energy communities}},
author = {Hilmar Brohmer and Johanna Held and Rosanna Bruno and Elena Malakhatka and Christoph Resch-Anzengruber and Katja Corcoran},
journal = {Discover Sustainability},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1007/s43621-026-04182-w},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-026-04182-w},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Insights from a conjoint study on the attractiveness of energy communities
AU - Hilmar Brohmer
AU - Johanna Held
AU - Rosanna Bruno
AU - Elena Malakhatka
AU - Christoph Resch-Anzengruber
AU - Katja Corcoran
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - Discover Sustainability
DO - 10.1007/s43621-026-04182-w
UR - https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-026-04182-w
AB - Energy communities are gaining prominence across Europe, but little is known about factors that motivate individuals to join them. This study investigates how social, legal, technical factors, as well as person-specific characteristics shape motivation to participate in ECs beyond financial considerations. Using a conjoint experimental design in an Austrian online survey (N = 554), we examined preferences across multiple EC profiles per person. Results indicate that participants slightly preferred ECs organized as associations over corporate or company-based entities, and favored comprehensive energy usage models (e.g., combining electricity and heating) over more narrowly focused applications. There was also limited evidence for a preference toward socially diverse communities. At the individual level, motivation to join an EC was most strongly associated with positive attitudes toward public service, followed by weaker effects of future orientation and biospheric values. We discuss the results in the light of emerging perspectives on energy citizenship, highlighting individuals as active contributors rather than passive consumers in the energy transition.
SN - 2662-9984
ER -