The Energy Roadshow aims to have a positive impact by enhancing knowledge and raising awareness about the importance of energy consumption, not only in the context of climate change, but also in providing comfort and better quality of life.
While the energy transition is often framed as a technological problem, it is also a matter of social transformation. The social practices that shape energy consumption must be considered if we are to have an effective and just energy transition. This requires us to consider not only the need for appropriate infrastructure and knowledge to support sustainable practices, but also the meanings we assign to everyday actions. What is considered ‘normal’ is socially constructed, and reshaping the idea of what is ‘normal’ is essential for meaningful change.
Citizens are at the center of ADENE’s mission, aligned with the European Union’s vision of putting citizens at the center of the energy transition. This can only be achieved if people have a basic knowledge of energy matters such as understanding their energy bills, understanding the different forms of energy, the benefits of self-consumption and renewable energy communities, etc. The project is funded exclusively by ADENE and is positioning itself as the main energy literacy project in Portugal.
Case study profile
Introduction
The Energy Roadshow was born in 2021, aligned with the European Green Deal towards a greener, decarbonized Europe and a just energy transition. The project aims to increase energy literacy in Portugal, promote the adoption of sustainable behaviours and aid in the fight against energy poverty. Through awareness raising and training sessions, delivered either in person or online, we bring knowledge to the public, encourage interest in energy-related topics, and highlight the role of citizens in creating a more sustainable future.
Behavioural insights
Initially, the project focused mostly on promoting individual behaviour change, but has progressively adopted a social practice theory approach with a specific focus on energy-related social practices.This approach shifts the focus from individual behaviour to the interconnected activities that people carry out in their everyday lives, and allows consideration of how infrastructure, skills, materials, and the meanings associated with those practices can influence whether and how people change.
Through this approach, we aim to equip people with the skills and knowledge needed for meaningful climate action, while also addressing the social meanings attached to everyday activities and advocating for the infrastructure required to support sustainable practices.
Outcomes and impacts
More than 30 000 people have been reached by the programme, including approximately 18 500 students, 11 800 citizens, 850 municipalities staff and 2000 business and organisations representatives. Levels of satisfaction with the training/information sessions (captured through post-session surveys) has been very positive.
The Energy Roadshow has had a positive impact by enhancing knowledge and raising awareness about the importance of energy consumption, not only in the context of climate change, but also in providing comfort and better quality of life. By helping people adopt more energy efficient behaviours, it also helps reduce energy bills and improve home comfort and, therefore, aid in the fight against energy poverty.
It has become clear that the general levels of energy literacy in society are quite low and people’s attention span for these subjects is not as high as one might think. Therefore, it is extremely important to adopt an informal, relaxed but proactive approach when delivering awareness raising or event training sessions. Especially regarding school students, these sessions should not last for longer than 45 minutes, including constant interaction with the audience and the use of materials like videos and online quizzes.
The team plans to replicate the projects in Portuguese speaking African countries.