Empowering individuals to engage in the energy transition

The decarbonisation of power systems relies on electrification and the integration of renewable energy sources. While these trends offer environmental and efficiency benefits, they also introduce systemic challenges, including demand peaks, supply variability, and infrastructure strain. To address these, the energy transition is increasingly shaped by digitalisation, decentralisation, and consumer participation. Individuals are evolving from passive to active participants in smart energy systems, exemplified by "prosumers" who generate and use their power, engage in dynamic pricing, and participate in energy communities. This active participation can enhance grid reliability and reduce market power abuse, but integrating consumers into electricity markets presents technical, regulatory, economic, and behavioural challenges. This cumulative thesis investigates the evolving role of individuals in the smart energy transition, focusing on the interplay between policy, technology, and consumer engagement. Drawing on six published conference and journal studies, the thesis explores how individuals adopt sustainable energy technologies, participate in demand response programmes, and engage in emerging local energy structures such as energy communities and flexibility markets. By integrating insights from information systems, energy economics, and behavioural science, the thesis provides a multidimensional understanding of household engagement in the energy transition. It identifies enabling conditions for inclusive participation and proposes design principles for technologies and policies that better support consumer agency. The findings inform both academic debates and policy frameworks aimed at empowering individuals to contribute meaningfully to decarbonised, resilient, and citizen-driven energy systems.