As the residential buildings sector accounts for around 30 percent of the final energy demand in Germany, this sector is increasingly becoming the focus of public attention with regard to climate change. In this book, decisions on energy consumption by private households are examined. The analyses are based on several empirical methods. The results show that the road to more sustainable energy consumption in residential buildings is not hampered by a lack of will on behalf of the consumers. However one should be realistic that there are many instances where improving thermal institution involves additional economic costs for individual households.

This timely Handbook provides an excellent overview of our knowledge on the drivers, influencing factors and outcomes of energy entrepreneurship. As the world grapples with global resource crunches and fights to reap the rewards of new energy technologies, a wide space for entrepreneurial opportunity has emerged. The Handbook of Research on Energy Entrepreneurship offers critical insight on how nations the world over can make full use of those opportunities. An informed blend of geographical and methodological approaches to energy entrepreneurship research, these comprehensive and complementary perspectives shed new light on topics ranging from harnessing the power of the sun and wind to consumer preferences and policy frameworks. This book provides an excellent reference point for scholars and practitioners seeking a richer understanding of the aspects of venture financing, corporate entrepreneurship, internationalization of entrepreneurial ventures, emerging cleantech clusters, public policy and the institutional aspects of energy innovation. A must-read for those interested in the scholarly investigation of energy entrepreneurship - including students and scholars of entrepreneurship, technology and innovation management, organizations and the natural environment, and environmental economics, practitioners in energy entrepreneurship, and policymakers - this Handbook is sure to enlighten and engage. Contributors: R. Abold, Z. Acs, J. Aleluia, M.H. Anderson, H. Andree, A. Aspelund, M. Brachert, S. Cohen, N. Dee, P. Dickel, S. Ford, E. Garnsey, D. Grichnik, M.W. Hansen, D.M. Hart, E. Heiskanen, C. Hornych, M. Kenney, C. Koropp, L. Lehmann-Ortega, J. Leitao, M. Loock, N. Lovdal, R. Lovio, A. Marcus, G. Meersohn, P. Mickwitz, P. Migliavacca, N. Peretz, S. Pogutz, A. Russo, J.-M. Schoettl, K. Sutcliffe, T. Teppo, R. Wuebker, R. Wustenhagen

As the residential buildings sector accounts for around 30 percent of the final energy demand in Germany, this sector is increasingly becoming the focus of public attention with regard to climate change. In this book, decisions on energy consumption by private households are examined. The analyses are based on several empirical methods. The results show that the road to more sustainable energy consumption in residential buildings is not hampered by a lack of will on behalf of the consumers. However one should be realistic that there are many instances where improving thermal institution involves additional economic costs for individual households.

Auf vielen Markten haben heute umweltvertragliche Produkte zwar eine ``OEko-Nische`` erobert, eine Diffusion in den Massenmarkt kann jedoch erst an wenigen Einzelbeispielen beobachtet werden. Dabei ist der Nischenstatus von OEko-Produkten keinesfalls eine unabanderliche Tatsache, sondern durch ein Zusammenwirken von innovativem Marketing und foerderlichen Rahmenbedingungen durchaus uberwindbar. Dies belegen die Autoren, indem sie zunachst einen konzeptionellen Rahmen entwickeln, der zur Analyse der heutigen OEko-Nischen sowie fur die Erkundung von Marktsegmenten und Unternehmensstrategien jenseits der Nische dient, und diesen exemplarisch auf die Lebensmittel-, Bekleidungs- und Elektrizitatsbranche anwenden.

In recent years our understanding of corporate sustainability has moved from exploitation to exploration, from corporate environmental management to sustainable entrepreneurship, and from efficiency to innovation. Yet current trends indicate the need for radical innovation via entrepreneurial start-ups or new ventures within existing corporations despite difficulties with the financing and marketing of such efforts. Presenting both conceptual and empirical research, this fascinating book addresses how we can combine environmental and social sustainability with economic sustainability in order to produce innovative new business models. The international cast of contributors addresses the wide range of issues in the balance between growth and environmental concerns. The first five chapters discuss various aspects of sustainable entrepreneurship. This is followed by two chapters that look at innovation within existing firms. Innovation is not successful until it finds a customer, so the two chapters that follow delve into the marketing aspects of business-to-consumer and business-to-business settings. The book closes with a broad discussion of the evolution and future of the research agenda into the intersection of sustainability, innovation and entrepreneurship. Academics, students, business professionals, and NGOs will find this volume enlightening and useful.