Work

Who uses online electricity monitoring services? The role of household attitudes and characteristics

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Smart meters and digital platforms enable electricity companies to provide online services that allow households to monitor hourly electricity use and billing. These services may support demand-side flexibility and consumer engagement, but adoption patterns remain poorly understood. This study examines the attitudinal, socio-demographic, and dwelling-related factors influencing the use of an electricity company's online electricity monitoring service in Finland, where smart metering is nearly universal. Survey data collected in 2018 from 1277 Finnish households were analyzed using logit regression models, with attitudinal constructs identified through factor analysis. The results show that adoption is more likely among households that are more technologically oriented, risk-tolerant, and less influenced by peer opinions. Homeownership, detached housing, and time-of-use contracts also increased adoption, whereas income and higher education were not significant predictors. Environmental concern is negatively associated with registration, indicating that environmentally oriented attitudes do not necessarily translate into engagement with digital electricity monitoring services. These results suggest that online services primarily attract households with stronger digital interest and more direct practical incentives to monitor electricity use, while less engaged households may remain outside the user base. For online platforms to deliver on their potential of wider engagement in energy matters, utilities and policymakers need strategies to broaden adoption and focus on increasing awareness of service benefits, simplifying user interfaces, providing personalized feedback and targeted communication for less digitally engaged households.

Source: Energy Policy

DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2026.115510

Author: Teemu Meriläinen

Institutions: Finnish Environment Institute, University of Oulu

Language: English

Topic: Smart Grid Energy Management

Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,940