Do customers want flexible prices or predictability above all? A qualitative study with 1,000+ participants on readiness, barriers, and trust in dynamic energy tariffs.
Only 11% have a clear understanding. Another 41% know the term vaguely. The concept has not arrived with end customers.
Loss aversion dominates perception. Even respondents who clearly understand dynamic tariffs share this concern at 69%.
Safety beats opportunity. 33% prefer the chance of lower costs - and 82% of them want it without any conditions.
Only 5% of households actively use a dynamic electricity tariff today. But the structures behind them are changing rapidly - and those who think their business model from the world of 5% will react too late in 2035.
The information strategy must separate two worlds: households with EVs, heat pumps, or PV systems seek savings potential and control. Everyone else needs orientation first - what is a dynamic tariff and what does it mean for daily life?
I've heard of it before, but I can't really explain it.
The majority is not won through price arguments, but through control, transparency, and simple automation. Anyone who only bets on savings alienates exactly the majority that will decide the market.
I would feel like I'm investing in stocks, and I have no interest in that.
Some results confirm assumptions - the decisive ones contradict them.
We confronted participants with the scenario: 15-20% savings in exchange for accepting flexible consumption times. How do they react?
I don't need absolute predictability. The chance of lower costs is more important to me - I like taking such chances.
8% see room to shift their consumption in time without notable restrictions. 33% see no way to shift, 36% deflect or only discuss price.
→ Maximum potential of a purely dynamic variant: 9%.
22% already think in consumption windows - but only join in if the conditions are right: price caps, guaranteed savings windows, clear if-then logic.
→ Secured variant: 31% market. 3.4× larger than the direct market.
The study identifies fundamentally different segments. Two are shown as a preview.
Safety first. Switchable - but only with price cap or clear guarantees.
Unconditionally ready to buy. No price cap, no guarantee needed - they buy when the product is there.
Full profile in the study.
Full profile in the study.
Full profile in the study.
Full profile in the study.
All segments with full profiles, drivers, and action recommendations are included in the full study.
Six dimensions that determine whether dynamic tariffs succeed or fail in the market.
Safety beats bargains. Customers prioritize predictability over the absolute lowest price – but which safety needs dominate in which segment?
Dynamic tariffs are known and partially negatively charged. Skepticism and diffuse risk associations dominate the first reaction. Which narratives work in which customer segments, which communication approaches build trust, and where does resistance arise.
The fear of additional costs overshadows statistically provable savings. Loss aversion dominates decision logic. Volto AI makes these psychological patterns segment-specifically visible – so providers know whom to address how and when.
Trust is not built through price, but through control mechanisms: price caps, transparency, clear if-then logic. Volto AI qualitatively captures which safety anchors actually work in which segments – and separates real drivers from assumptions.
Flexibility is not an attitude question, but a capacity question. Household size, infrastructure, and time budget determine real usability. The connection of these structural characteristics with behavioral patterns shows which customer groups can actually be flexible – regardless of whether they want to.
Risk willingness is not a personality trait, but tied to concrete conditions and life situations. Volto AI identifies the triggers and life events that turn a skeptical customer into an affine one – and turns this into a controllable sales signal.
No second-hand summaries. Real customer voices, structured analysis, action-oriented conclusions.
Using Volto's proprietary Qualitative at Scale methodology: AI-powered voice interviews with energy customers across Germany. Unfiltered opinions, deep analysis, quantitatively weighted.
Be notified as soon as the study is available. No obligations.