Applying behavioural economics insights
Floris van Montfoort, a postdoctoral researcher in energy and behavioural economics at VU Amsterdam, explains: ‘As part of Align4Energy, VU Amsterdam is investigating how insights from behavioural economics can contribute to making homes more sustainable. We want to understand why households do or do not make certain choices, and how we can encourage them to take sustainable steps. Based on these insights, we are looking at how we can design sustainability measures in such a way that households can make a choice that suits them in a more accessible, simpler and more confident manner.’

From research to practice
Regionaal Energieloket plays a key role in applying scientific findings in practice. ‘REL supports local authorities in implementing sustainability policies, including the National Insulation Programme and tackling energy poverty. In addition, REL provides residents with information, advice and practical support on energy-saving measures. Esmé Paagman, communications advisor at REL, explains: ‘We work together with local authorities and residents to make sustainability measures accessible. We do this through a digital platform, the energy advice centre, and through targeted projects where we connect homeowners with specialists for measures such as insulation, solar panels and heat pumps. We help tenants with small measures, such as adjusting their radiators to be more energy-efficient and fitting draught excluders and radiator foil.’

One of the biggest challenges for REL is motivating residents to actually take action. ‘Making homes more sustainable is financially attractive, especially with subsidies available, but many households remain reluctant. This is due to various barriers,’ says Paagman. ‘High investment costs and the complexity of subsidies, information overload (not knowing where to start due to the many options), the hassle involved in sustainability measures (such as clearing out the attic to insulate the roof) and a lack of knowledge about the benefits are common barriers. And the transition is also social: people look to those around them and adjust their behaviour accordingly. The collaboration with VU University Amsterdam offers a unique opportunity to understand and overcome these obstacles.’

Overcoming behavioural barriers with personalised nudges
To overcome this, so-called ‘nudges’ are used: subtle behavioural prompts that steer people in the desired direction. Paagman: ‘In collaboration with VU University Amsterdam, for example, we are testing personalised communication via letters sent by local authorities. With these letters, we aim to respond to households' specific motivations, such as comfort, cost savings, or the collective importance of sustainability. ’

Paagman emphasises the importance of understanding and the prospect of action: ‘People must understand, be able to, and want to take sustainability measures. Only when all these conditions are met can we really create change.’

Within the team at VU University Amsterdam, two PhD students, Marjan Nikoloski and Louison Thépaut, are researching ‘personas’. These are archetypes of different types of households with specific characteristics, preferences and motivations. By understanding what drives them, a sustainability message can be better tailored.

Van Montfoort: ‘In a study, Marjan identified the personas based on a national questionnaire. These personas are being used to personalise letters as part of the National Insulation Programme run by local authorities. This personalised approach is now being tested in several local authorities to see if it leads to a higher willingness to sign up.’

Learning what works
This approach offers VU and REL the opportunity to gain a better understanding of what does and does not work when implementing municipal sustainability programmes. Paagman: ‘That is important to us, because it provides scientifically grounded insights that we can scale up. This allows other municipalities to use the same methodology, thereby increasing the social impact.’

‘Collaboration between academia and practice is crucial in this regard,’ adds Van Montfoort. ‘By joining forces, we can not only take action but also understand what works and why. Together, we set up scientific pilot projects with control groups, so that we can truly measure the impact of measures. This is still rarely done in many other pilot programmes.’