Lifestyles and Their Impact on Energy-Related Investment Decisions

Maria Gröger, Victoria Schmid, Thomas Bruckner
DOI: 10.4236/lce.2011.22014                

Abstract

This paper presents an empirical survey of energy-related investment decisions made by private households in Germany. The investment behaviour is segmented and discussed by applying the milieu approach. The decision makers are clustered in certain lifestyles, as represented by the Sinus-Milieus® from the Sinus Institute. To analyse the relationship between the lifestyles of house owners and their energy-related investment decisions, telephone interviews were conducted in order to acquire data on currently installed heating systems and preferences for future heating systems in private residential buildings. The results of the survey support the hypothesis of a link between lifestyles and the energy-related investment behaviour. Based on the observed relationship between lifestyles and decisions on energy technologies, predictions of energy trends in private residential buildings can be improved. In addition, the knowledge about specific development paths allows the utilisation of the information for information campaigns and the promotion of energy supply technologies which lead to lower CO₂-emissions.

Keywords

Lifestyles, Consumers, Survey, Space Heating Technology

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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