Household Adoption of Flexible Electricity Technologies

Last registered on January 05, 2026
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Household Adoption of Flexible Electricity Technologies
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0017497
Initial registration date
December 19, 2025

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
January 05, 2026, 7:00 AM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Eva Hümmecke
Affiliation
RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Mark Andor
PI Affiliation
RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research
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PI Name
Christoph Feldhaus
PI Affiliation
Ruhr University Bochum
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PI Name
Leon Landes
PI Affiliation
Ruhr University Bochum
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PI Name
Andreas Löschel
PI Affiliation
Ruhr University Bochum
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PI Name
Lukas Tomberg
PI Affiliation
RWI – Leibniz Institute for Economic Research
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Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2025-12-15
End date
2030-12-31
Keywords
Behavior, Environment & Energy
Additional Keywords
Technology adoption, demand-side flexibility, heat pumps, electric vehicles, photovoltaic, information provision
JEL code(s)
D83, Q41, Q48, Q55
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
The adoption of heat pumps and electric vehicles in private households plays a major role in decarbonizing the energy system, while simultaneously increasing the need for and enabling greater demand flexibility. We conduct a survey experiment with participants in Germany, Spain, and the United States to examine how providing information about the role of electrification and demand-side flexibility in the electricity system affects households’ interest in adopting flexibility-enabling technologies, their perceived likelihood of adoption over the next ten years, and their assessment of policies designed to incentivize flexible electricity consumption. To account for tenure-related adoption constraints, we also ask for anticipated landlord investments and tenants’ willingness to discuss such investments.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Andor, Mark et al. 2026. "Household Adoption of Flexible Electricity Technologies." AEA RCT Registry. January 05. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.17497-1.0
Sponsors & Partners

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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2025-12-15
Intervention End Date
2026-01-15

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Interest in technology adoption, perceived likelihood of technology adoption, assessment of policies and market instruments for electricity demand flexibility
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
Participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups of equal size. Participants in the treatment group receive a sequence of information screens. After the information treatment, participants are asked about technologies they do not currently own. For each technology, participants then indicate their level of interest in adopting or using the technology, and how likely they believe they are to do so. In addition, we assess participants’ evaluations of policies and pricing schemes aimed at incentivizing flexible electricity consumption.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization by the survey institute commissioned to conduct the survey
Randomization Unit
Individuals (respondents)
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
9,000 respondents (3,000 per country: US, Spain and Germany)
Sample size: planned number of observations
9,000 respondents (3,000 per country: US, Spain and Germany)
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
3,000 in control group, 3,000 in treatment group
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
See Pre-Analysis Plan
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
German Association for Experimental Economic Research e.V.
IRB Approval Date
2025-11-24
IRB Approval Number
5vUr36jd
Analysis Plan

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