The study 'Crowdfunding and Energy Efficiency Contracting: Exploring New Pathways for Private Investment in Building Renovations' examines the role of Energy Efficiency Contracting (EEC) in financing building upgrades through savings, bypassing upfront costs. Despite its potential, adoption in the private sector faces barriers such as lack of information and trust. 

The FinSESCo platform, funded by Era-Net 2020, tackles these issues by enabling crowdfunding for small-scale energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. 

A survey of 2,585 German households highlighted that low- and medium-income households are more likely to engage, emphasising the platform’s potential to democratise and diversify EEC investments.