The promotion of green technologies such as solar panels is essential for climate protection. Unfortunately, private households are often put off installing such systems by the high initial investments. Effective communication that emphasizes the financial advantages of solar panels could help this situation. This was the finding of a new study by LMU researchers in cooperation with partners from the University of Cologne and the Rotterdam School of Management, which has been published in the journal Nature Communications.
In a comprehensive field experiment with around 27,000 customers of a Dutch online retailer, the team investigated how different advertising messages on the retailer’s website influenced the demand for solar panels. In the advertisements, the researchers emphasized either financial benefits such as extra savings and income or else positive environmental effects, such as the reduction of CO₂ emissions or the generation of green energy.
