Behavioural insights for electricity demand flexibility

Barriers and enablers to behaviour change and engagement with smart energy services

Behavioural Insights for Policy series: Evidence review

Year: 2025

Topic: Smart energy and demand flexibility

Methodology: Evidence review

Author: The Behaviouralist

Summary

Electricity demand flexibility, where energy users adjust their consumption in response to supply fluctuations, can alleviate grid strain, reduce emissions and accelerate the energy transition. Behavioural science can guide strategies to encourage participation in demand side flexibility schemes, adoption of smart energy technologies, and adjustments to daily routines.

This report comprehensively maps the various demand flexibility actions available to households and SMEs. It then outlines, from an energy-user perspective, the pathways to implement them through a series of user roadmaps. These examine the behavioural barriers that energy users face in engaging in demand flexibility behaviours. A roadmap for each of the following is presented: peak shaving and shifting, switching to time-based tariffs, participation in demand response programmes, adoption and use of smart appliances, heat pump adoption and operation, EV adoption and charging, and solar PV adoption and use.

A comprehensive set of behavioural interventions and policy recommendations are presented.