Since heating-related energy consumption is one of the main sources of greenhouse gas emissions and accounts for a large part of domestic energy use in Europe, reducing heating-related energy consumption has great potential to reduce Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions. This study examines which factors determine people's intention to decrease heating-related energy usage, specifically lowering the temperature in winter. It was part of a larger European project focused on promoting energy reduction. This study presents a smaller-scale model tested among 363 individuals from five pilot countries, i.e., Belgium (n = 58), Croatia (n = 82), Germany (n = 105), Greece (n = 33), and Portugal (n = 85). We applied three robust theoretical frameworks: the Theory of Planned Behaviour, the Value Belief Norm Theory, and the Prototype Willingness Model. We conducted a confirmatory factor analysis to ensure construct validity, followed by a structural equation model. Our findings suggest that willingness (from the Prototype Willingness Model) is the most important predictor in explaining someone’s intention to reduce heating-related energy consumption. Additionally, perceived behavioural control, subjective norms, and attitudes (part of Theory of Planned Behaviour) also play an important role in predicting the intention to reduce energy consumption. Lastly, personal moral norms (from the Value Belief Norm Theory) have a significant impact, but their effect is moderate compared to the other predictors.

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Prosumers with photovoltaic systems can reduce their electricity expenses by increasing their consumption of self-generated electricity. This makes them more resilient to price shocks, like the 2022 European energy crisis. We evaluate how prosumers adapt their consumption behavior in response to such political uncertainty and increasing electricity prices. The collected survey and smart meter data allow us to evaluate the perceived self-reported and measured impact on self-consumption.Saving intentions due to the energy crisis are more clearly displayed by the survey than by the measured self-consumption. While solar radiation predominantly explains self-consumption changes, Google searches on electricity-related topics have limited explanatory power. However, considering time lags and the interaction with solar radiation leads to more nuanced insights on the effect of Google searches. Depending on the level of solar radiation, the effect of Google searches ranges from decreasing the daily self-consumption by 26.45 Wh to increasing it by 69.45 Wh. @en