How energy demand is becoming more flexible

Flexibility in energy consumption on the consumer side – for example, by only running the dishwasher or washing machine when there is a surplus of electricity – could help energy suppliers to smooth out peak demand and reduce investment in expensive storage technologies. (Photo: Adobe Stock)

September 29, 2026 | Barbara Vonarburg

When are tenants willing to reduce their energy consumption? And what kind of investments are homeowners willing to make to save energy? Researchers from Eawag and WSL are investigating this through surveys. Their aim is to gauge public support for the design of the future energy system.

Would you be willing to take part in the following programme run by your energy supplier: Lowering the room temperature by 2 degrees in the evening between 6 pm and 10 pm? You would also have to go without using your washing machine, dishwasher, tumble dryer and electric car charging for three hours once a week. This would reduce CO₂ emissions by 5 per cent, and they would receive 100 francs a year as financial compensation. This was one of several options that tenants could choose from in a survey.

“Our aim is to find out to what extent respondents would be willing to have their energy consumption restricted,” explains Fabian Dvorak, a researcher in the Department of Environmental Social Sciences at Eawag. The survey is part of the joint initiative "Swiss Centre of Excellence on Net-Zero Emissions" (SCENE), under which researchers from the ETH Domain are collaborating to achieve Switzerland’s net-zero emissions target by 2050.

As renewable energy capacity expands, supply and demand within the electricity system will fluctuate more and more. Consumer flexibility could help energy suppliers to smooth out peak demand and reduce investment in expensive storage technologies. “Our aim is to determine which configurations of the energy system would be acceptable to Swiss households,” says Ivana Logar, head of the Environmental Economics Group in Eawag’s Department of Environmental and Social Sciences.

Reducing CO₂ emissions encourages people to get involved

Over 1,700 tenants across Switzerland were surveyed. “Generally speaking, we have found that there is a willingness to embrace programmes that include flexibility measures,” concludes Dvorak. However, it is clear that reductions in temperature are particularly sensitive. In return, respondents expect the highest financial compensation. Restrictions on electrical appliances tend to be more readily accepted and result in lower compensation payments. In the case of programmes that involve significant CO₂ reductions, the offsetting requirement may well be lower, because: “The reduction in emissions alone is enough to motivate people to get involved,” says Dvorak.

To identify which individual factors influence participants’ approval of the programmes, the researchers also used standardised behavioural economics questions to assess the participants’ risk tolerance and future orientation. The result: People willing to take more risks and who are particularly forward-looking are more likely to take part in the programmes and require fewer financial incentives.

Homeowners are particularly keen to invest in insulating their homes, installing solar panels on their roofs and fitting heat pumps, especially when the prices are attractive. (Photo: Adobe Stock)

A second survey conducted by the researchers was aimed at owners of older houses. The aim was to understand which investments are realistic when specific packages of measures are offered at certain prices. These packages combined measures such as the installation of solar panels, heat pumps, wood and pellet-fired heating systems or battery storage units, connection to district heating, or the insulation of buildings. Respondents had to choose between various combinations, each associated with different levels of CO₂ savings. “A selection process like this provides a better reflection of purchasing decisions than simply asking how much someone would be willing to spend on an energy plan that reduces CO₂ emissions by 40 per cent,” says Logar. It became apparent that demand for rooftop solar panels, heat pumps and building insulation is high across all regions, but is highly sensitive to price changes. “These technologies will become widespread in the future because people are keen to invest and prices are expected to fall,” says Dvorak. Energy storage systems, on the other hand, are not particularly attractive on their own, but only when combined with other technologies such as photovoltaics or heat pumps. This means, for example, that standalone subsidies for domestic battery storage systems would make comparatively less sense.

The survey results will next be incorporated into energy modelling, which, as part of the SCENE project, will simulate scenarios for the transformation of the Swiss electricity system up to 2050. “Through our work, we aim to prevent researchers – and energy suppliers too – from basing their calculations on configurations that, whilst technically sound and sensible, have little public support,” says Dvorak.

Cover picture: Flexibility in energy consumption on the consumer side – for example, by only running the dishwasher or washing machine when there is a surplus of electricity – could help energy suppliers to smooth out peak demand and reduce investment in expensive storage technologies. (Photo: Adobe Stock)