Which factors determine the extent of house owners’ energy-related refurbishment projects? A Motivation-Opportunity-Ability Approach

Increasing the energy efficiency of the buildings in the European Union to reduce their high share of the final energy consumption could have various societal benefits. A special focus in this regard lies on residential buildings. However, in Germany, the energy efficiency increase associated with residential refurbishment projects is commonly low. For a better understanding of this problem, we investigate factors influencing the extent of energy-related refurbishment projects of owner-occupiers of single and two-family houses. For this purpose, we use online survey data, the Motivation-Opportunity-Ability framework and general factors influencing the adoption of energy-related refurbishment projects. These factors’ effects on the refurbishment extent of owner-occupiers in the process of such projects are analyzed with structural equation analysis. Our results show that the intention to embellish the house, need for building maintenance or having related know-how foster the realization of more comprehensive energy-related refurbishment projects. A supporting social environment and willingness to take out a loan were also identified to have this effect. Based on our results, we inter alia suggest that having subsidized regional consultation initiatives, which allow for a potential multiplier-effect amongst house owners, could increase the extent of energy-related refurbishment projects. Finally, ideas for ongoing research are provided.