Recently electricity market liberalization has started in all Baltic countries. After previously being considered as anonymous loads on the electricity grid, consumers became active participants whose decisions affect their environment and everyday lives (Ketola & Matsson, 2001). It is crucial to understand and anticipate how ways of living may bring added value in forming sustainable energy usage. 

Liberalization of the electricity market can help revealing the problematics of consumers engagement with energy sector in general. In order to encourage a sustainable electricity use, one should understand the habits, thinking and even unconscious decision-making patterns of the end-user. This understanding will lead to improvements in not only the electricity sector but to effectiveness of consumer-driven initiatives, better policy making decisions and more sustainable energy use. We suggest a fundamental interdisciplinary study aimed at a better understanding of consumers' and other stakeholders' perception, motivation and behaviour choosing their electricity provider and using electricity on a daily basis.

The outcome will allow creating an effective strategy to get great results from electricity liberalization and improve the electricity efficiency in the region as well as to have a significant impact on people’s habits while nurturing sustainable electricity use and most importantly it will be a major step towards creating a caring culture of electricity. In this liberal market situation where renewable electricity is supported by governments and even international strategies, suddenly, awareness of consumers starts to play a crucial role.

© 2016, Homo Eminens

 Energy Efficiency

 Renewable Energy

 Sustainable Development

 Regional Policy

 Horizon Europe

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