Energy Citizenship in Belgium: Potentials and Paradoxes

This chapter explores the forms, contexts, and conditions of energy citizenship that have emerged in Belgium. Regarding the forms, it presents data from a large-scale mapping of energy citizenship initiatives throughout Europe. For Belgium, this comprises 21 initiatives differing in objective, size, and organisational form. Regarding the contexts and conditions, the analysis discusses the factors that shape the development of energy citizenship in Belgium. It reflects on the energy citizenship potential of the Belgian context and its apparent paradoxes: energy citizenship is a universalist concept, yet related practices tend to develop around rather particularistic understandings of citizenship. Second, energy citizenship is developing thanks to a seriously energy-inefficient building stock, which creates awareness and urgency. This adverse material context also renders many energy-citizenship-related agencies ineffective, invisible, and unrewarding, however—thus the material context is at once a ‘driver’ and a barrier. Third, energy citizenship revolves around the activation of citizens, yet this tends to be successful only through the intermediation of institutions—ultimately leaving citizens relatively passive. These universality, materiality, and agency paradoxes represent important reality checks for energy citizenship policies.