Energy transition in German households progressing mostly in the countryside

Almost a quarter of German households are “actively participating” in the Energiewende by using technologies such as solar PV systems, battery storages, e-cars, or heat pumps, according to the “Energy Transition Barometer 2018” published by state-owned business development bank KfW. The survey, conducted among 4,000-odd households, shows that participation is significantly lower in large cities than in the countryside, due to the higher share of multi-family residential buildings in cities. As household carbon emissions remain largely unchanged, the “existing willingness of households to contribute actively to climate action should be more effectively harnessed through targeted support,” said Dr Jörg Zeuner, chief economist of KfW Group, in a press release. While only just under two percent of the surveyed households own an electric vehicle today, 16 percent are planning to buy one, representing the highest growth rate of all technologies analysed by KfW.

Find the press release in English here, and the barometer in German here.

For background, read the CLEW dossier The People's Energiewende.