BEHAVE 2020-2021, the 6th European Conference on Behaviour Change and Energy Efficiency, took place on 21-23 April 2021. The conference produced multiple materials in frontier research and field application of behavioural insights to motivate energy conservation, renewable energy deployment, climate change mitigation, and sustainable development.
This edition of the BEHAVE conference was co-organised by the European Energy Network (EnR) and the UNEP DTU Partnership through the Copenhagen Centre on Energy Efficiency. The conference mobilised 150 speakers during 26 breakout sessions and three plenaries, with 594 registered participants.
Presentations included both academic findings based on abstracts and filed applications with EU and national government funding support and covered various sectors, from buildings, transport and businesses to applications in developing countries, digital solutions, and an extensive range of energy efficiency policies. These findings and applications can play an essential role in reducing global energy demand and enabling a carbon-neutral future. Through nudging, energy conservation and emission reduction can be achieved at a low or even zero cost.
EnR held two special sessions at the BEHAVE conference, one workshop on “Energy agencies supporting households and communities through the energy transition with a focus on behaviour change and advisory services” and another workshop on “The road to net zero: what can energy agencies learn from behavioural science?”.
The BEHAVE conference proceedings have been published in a report aiming to lead to even more analysis and applications and to help motivate green and sustainable behaviour. The conference was recorded and the recordings will also be made available.
A special issue of the journal Energy Policy: ‘’Behavioural Insights for Sustainable Energy Use: Theories, Evidence and Policy Implications” will be published by December 2021, containing full papers presented in the conference.
EnR published a catalogue of best practice related to behavioural insights. The catalogue showcases a wide range of best practices on behavioural insights in energy efficiency from many different national agencies in Europe, demonstrating the diversity of the work of the European Energy Network. An analysis of the best practices is given, providing the main highlights and conclusions and some recommendations for consideration.