Policy measures in the German heating sector: A review-based framework to study policy acceptance

The development of innovative heating technologies and, above all, their diffusion is essential to reach national climate change mitigation targets in the building sector. Research has shown that primary energy use and CO2 emissions could be greatly reduced by replacing conventional heating technologies with renewable energy heating systems such as heat pumps or solar-thermal heating. The acceleration of the development and diffusion of innovative heating technologies requires appropriate policy measures. Those policies need to be effective and feasible. This in turn, is dependent on the acceptance of the policy by (parts of) the general public. As the building sector is prone to lock-in effects, public opposition to policies might inhibit necessary adoptions of efficient technologies. This means that the dimension of socio-political acceptance needs to be included into policy design, next to considerations on economic efficiency, and climate compatibility. While social acceptance has already been studied with regard to heating technologies, less attention has been paid on the acceptance of policy measures that would foster their deployment. The aim of this study is to derive a conceptual framework to study policy acceptance, in particular for the heating sector. Therefore, we undergo four steps. First, we synthesize existing research on factors that influence policy acceptance towards innovative low-carbon technologies. Second, we review existing frameworks to study policy acceptance (for innovative technologies). Third, we propose a conceptual framework to study acceptance for policies in the heating sector. Finally, we review policies in the heating sector in Germany with a focus on policy characteristics that might influence policy acceptance.