• Energy Research
• 11. Sustainability close
• 7. Clean energy close
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The residential building sector is responsible for a large proportion of the energy consumption worldwide, mainly due to heating, cooling and domestic hot water needs. TESSe2b solution is the outcome of a four-year Horizon 2020 funded project intending to deal with the above issue, through the enhancement of energy efficiency in buildings. In the context of TESSe2b project, a compact and low cost thermal energy storage technology is designed, developed, validated and demonstrated; small-sized thermal energy storage tanks with phase change materials (PCM TES) are combined with solar collectors and high performance geothermal heat pumps. A key-issue regarding the successful diffusion of the technology is consumers’ acceptance and adoption behavior. The present study aims to evaluate the self-reported behavioral intention of the TESSe2b solution in different European countries, as well as the factors that can affect this issue. On this basis, a behavioral survey was performed in five EU Member States (Austria, Greece, Spain, Portugal and Germany) between June 2016 and February 2017. The issues under investigation included: a) consumers’ views on perceived benefits of the technology, b) consumers’ perceived adoption intention of the technology, c) willingness to pay (in €) for the technology and d) acceptable payback period in order for someone to be willing to pay for the TESSe2b system. In order to examine the total sample of 583 respondents, separate statistical analyses were performed for each country. The sample was primarily analyzed through descriptive statistics, while ordinal logistic regressions were performed in order to examine the effect of socioeconomic and residence characteristics on consumers’ views concerning perceived benefits, adoption intention, willingness to pay and acceptable payback period of the TESSe2b system.Kruskal-Wallis non-parametric tests were applied in order to identify any differences between the different countries, regarding participants' views on the issues under consideration. The main factors that were identified to positively affect consumers’ views on TESSe2b technology are a) income, b) percentage of income spent on energy expenses, c) educational level, d) previous investments in relevant technologies, e) occupation or interest related to technology or the environment and f) household size. Age of construction, installed heating system and type of residence area are additional factors that have an impact on the subjects under investigation. In a broader context, the findings of the study contribute to the understanding of consumers’ behavior regarding residential heating/ cooling systems.

Climate change is increasingly becoming a key issue in everyday discussions. International comparative studies show that climate change is seen by ordinary citizens as an environmental problem that already exists and is often confused with the destruction of stratospheric ozone. Decisions and measures taken on climate protection by the local municipalities, namely: the Municipal Councils will have important impact on the issues of climate change. We examine Rhodes case study, an island municipality with a strong tourist driven economy. We seek answerers to the determinants and dimensions of understanding and response to climate change by local politicians such as Municipal Councilors. We conduct a population survey of active municipal and local councilors in the island Rhodes during their 2010 to 2014 term of office. The final sample included elected local councilors from the study area. Survey results showed that the Municipal Councils are aware of the climate change risk however they tend to associate it with other environmental issues such as ozone depletion or radioactivity pollution. They also believe that the Local Council should bear the responsibility for enforcement Climate Protection measures and a comprehensive environmental policy. The island of Rhodes is facing an environmental challenge of climate protection. The only way to cope with the severity of risks is to find sustainable solutions with long term planning.