Introduction

The learning lab on homeowner activation was designed to equip participants with practical tools and insights to effectively engage homeowners in energy retrofit initiatives through one-stop shops. Bringing together practitioners from across Europe, the program combined theoretical input with interactive workshops, enabling participants to both learn and apply activation strategies in their own contexts. A central focus of the lab was adopting an “outside-in” perspective—understanding homeowners’ motivations, barriers, and decision-making processes to design more effective outreach approaches. Across three sessions, participants explored key questions: what prevents homeowners from retrofitting their homes, what drives their decisions, and how activation strategies can be continuously improved through practice and measurement. Drawing on research and real-life examples, particularly from Dutch initiatives, the lab emphasized behavioural insights, customer-centric thinking, and iterative learning. The interactive format fostered peer exchange and encouraged participants to test and refine their approaches beyond the sessions, creating a foundation for ongoing collaboration and improvement.

Programme

1. 4 December 2025 15:00-16:30 (CET) - The principles of homeowner activation
How to think outside-in? What prevents homeowners from retrofitting their house? What is driving them? Participants dived into theory of homeowner activation based on examples from research. In the second half they applied the insights to their own context in an interactive exchange with colleagues across Europe.

2. 9 December 2025 - 15:00-16:30 (CET) - Putting theory into practice: designing campaigns.
How can you put the principles into practice? Based on examples from other sectors and a Dutch campaign co-designed by 10 regions, participants followed step by step how to design a strategy and campaign.

3. 11 December 2025 - 15:00-16:30 (CET) - Measuring impact of homeowner activation
How can you continuously improve your marketing strategy? How to design a cycle of learning, improving, and implementing? How to measure effectiveness? Based on practice examples participants explored how to set this up and apply these topics.‍

Session 1: The Principles of Homeowner Activation

The first session introduced the foundational concepts of homeowner activation, focusing on understanding the decision-making processes of homeowners. Led by the facilitator (EU Peers context), the session explored behavioral science principles and research findings, with a strong emphasis on adopting an “outside-in” perspective. Participants engaged in discussions to reflect on their own contexts and exchange experiences with peers across Europe.

Main Findings

- Homeowners face multiple barriers to retrofitting, including lack of overview, perceived complexity, time constraints, and uncertainty about benefits.
- Decision-making is often driven more by emotions and heuristics (system 1 thinking) than by rational analysis (system 2).
- Key drivers include comfort, financial savings, trust, and social norms, rather than purely environmental motivations.
- Effective activation requires simplifying the customer journey and reducing friction points.
- A clear, customer-oriented value proposition is essential to make retrofit actions appealing and understandable.

Key Takeaways

- Shift from a supply-driven to a customer-centric (“outside-in”) approach.
- Address both emotional and practical barriers in communication strategies.
- Simplification and clarity are critical to motivating action.
- Trust-building and relevance to homeowners’ everyday lives significantly increase engagement.

Session 2: Putting Theory into Practice – Designing Campaigns

The second session translated behavioral insights into actionable campaign strategies. Using examples from other sectors and a Dutch co-created campaign, participants were guided step by step through the design of activation campaigns. Interactive discussions allowed participants to test ideas and reflect on their own strategies.

Main Findings

- Successful campaigns are target-group specific and tailored to different homeowner segments.
- Behavioral insights can be operationalized through clear messaging, timing, and channel selection.
- Collaboration across regions enhances campaign quality and consistency.
- Iterative design and testing are essential for refining campaign effectiveness.

Key Takeaways

- Use behavioral insights as a foundation for campaign design.
- Develop simple, targeted, and relatable messages.
- Test and adapt campaigns continuously rather than aiming for perfection from the start.

Session 3: Measuring Impact of Homeowner Activation

The final session focused on monitoring and improving activation strategies through measurement and learning cycles. Participants explored how to assess campaign effectiveness and embed continuous improvement into their processes.

Main Findings

- Effective strategies rely on data-driven decision-making and clear performance indicators.
- A structured cycle of testing, measuring, learning, and adapting is key to long-term success.
- Tools such as dashboards and A/B testing support ongoing optimization.
- Measurement should align with both short-term outputs and long-term behavioral change.

Key Takeaways

- Build a continuous improvement cycle into activation strategies.
- Use data to inform decisions and refine approaches.
- Combine quantitative metrics with qualitative insights for a full understanding of impact.

The learning lab provided participants with a comprehensive framework for homeowner activation, combining behavioural insights, practical campaign design, and performance measurement. By emphasizing a customer-centric mindset and iterative learning, the program supports more effective and sustainable engagement strategies for energy retrofits.

For more information contact Josien Kruizinga (josien.kruizinga(a)verbouwstromen.nu)