Energy Suppliers as Vital Link in Heat Transition: Role Models Honored with Energiewende Award

Press Release – Wednesday, September 30, 2020

The heat transition is an integral part of the Energiewende (energy transition). EUPD Research’s survey among home owners reveals the significance allotted to energy suppliers when it comes to acquiring information about heat pumps and solar thermal systems. Outstanding energy suppliers are presented as role models and honored during the Energiewende Award.

Bonn. In the electricity sector, the energy transition is already relatively advanced, especially with respect to mobility. Though it is an essential part of the energy transition which must be implemented and enforced effectively and sustainably, there has been comparatively little attention on the heat transition. On a technical level, heat pumps and solar thermal are considered as important heating technologies of the future. In this context, energy suppliers – in the traditional sense and as technological provider with end consumer access – play an important role.

In its latest survey among 500 home owners, Bonn-based market and economic research company EUPD Research takes a closer look at the role of energy suppliers for the energy transition. About two-third of home owners, who plan to acquire a solar thermal system, rely on information provided by energy suppliers. Hence, energy suppliers are the fourth most important source of information, outranked only by installer, website of heating manufacturer and internet search as illustrated in the graphic below. For information on heat pump systems, however, energy suppliers are being approached by only every other interested person.

In the context of the Energiewende, the future viability of energy suppliers – with a fundamentally changed product and service portfolio – depends significantly whether end consumers perceive them as partner regarding the heat transition. EUPD Research developed a quality model, which identifies energy supplier with an outstanding and expanded product and service portfolio. As a result, energy suppliers engaging in the energy transition from an end consumer perspective are being honored with the Energiewende Award.

As an alternative for the official award ceremony at the innovation platform: “The smarter E Europe – Europe’s largest energy industry platform“ in Munich 2020, a municipal utility best practice day is going to take place. Selected winners of the Energiewende Award will present their solutions according to the motto “Learn from the best”. The online event “Municipal utilities as role models for the Energiewende” consists of three individual sessions with keynote speakers Prof. Dr. Claudia Kemfert (heads the Energy, Transportation, and Environment department at the German Institute for Economic Research/ DIW Berlin), Dr. Simone Peter (German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE) e.V.) and Katja Diehl (owner of She Drives Mobility). It will take place on Thursday, October 22, 2020. All information and free registration can be found here.

For the second time, this year’s Energiewende Award has been supported by Vaillant.

Further information about this year’s winners can be found here . Please contact Saif Islam at +49 (0) 228 97143-20 or islam[at]energiewende-award.de. if you have any questions.

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