Beyond one-size-fits-all: Exploring heterogeneity in the uptake of energy-efficient renovation among Austrian homeowners

Accelerating energy-efficient renovations (EER) in the residential sector is essential to meeting climate targets, yet adoption rates remain well off-track. Existing policy-oriented research often estimates the average effects of influencing factors on EER adoption across entire populations, producing limited insights to foster uptake among specific groups. This study investigates the adoption of two EER measures—thermal insulation and heating system replacement—by exploring how contextual, social, and psychological influences operate across different segments. We draw on an online survey of 1787 program-engaged homeowners in Styria, Austria, analyzed through a three-stage approach combining (i) descriptive analysis of adopters and non-adopters, (ii) Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), and (iii) Multigroup Analysis (MGA) to identify differences across segments defined by socioeconomic status (SES) and life stage. We find that perceived need is most strongly associated with thermal insulation, while access to EER-related information channels is most strongly associated with heating system replacement. Furthermore, MGA reveals significant differences: on the one hand, High-SES homeowners’ decisions are driven by informational cues from the information channels they consult, whereas Low-SES homeowners react mainly to a contextually-bounded perception of need; on the other hand, the decisions of Generation 1946-1964 are significantly associated with EER-specific and broader pro-environmental attitudes, contrary to homeowners born after 1965. These results advance the understanding of behavioral heterogeneity in EER adoption decisions and show how existing policy instruments can be better targeted, communicated, and implemented according to the most salient adoption influences across homeowner groups.