‘Thoughtful feedback from citizen's perspective’
In Finland, a citizens' assembly on the topic of household energy consumption submitted its recommendations to the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment and the Ministry of the Environment on 3 March 2025. Both ministries had commissioned the Citizens' Assembly in order to explore the views of citizens on the topic.
Transition in energy production
Finland is in the process of changing the basis of its energy production from burning oil and coal to nuclear, solar and wind power. This shift reduces greenhouse gas emissions and enhances energy self-sufficiency. However, it also increases fluctuations in electricity prices and creates a need for timing electricity consumption and reducing overall consumption.
The citizen assembly was organized to support ongoing national policy development in the ministries and the implementation of policy measures decided at the EU level in Finland. An energy and climate strategy is currently being developed under the leadership of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, while the Ministry of the Environment is preparing a medium-term climate plan.
Key issues
The task of the Citizens’ Assembly was to draft a statement addressing key issues related to household energy use, including:
- What should be considered in promoting demand response solutions?
- How can the housing-related policy measures of the medium-term climate plan (KAISU) be implemented in an acceptable and effective manner?
- Which groups are particularly vulnerable in terms of energy use?
- Who should energy subsidies be targeted at, and how should they be allocated?
- How, where, when, and to whom should energy advisory services be provided?
The topics discussed in the assembly have been defined in collaboration with the ministries to align with ongoing policy development.
The mini-public was convened to provide advice to decision-makers on these and other issues, with the aim of improving the fairness and acceptability of energy policy.
Taking different living situations into account
The citizens' report of the mini-public states, among other things, that energy policy solutions should take into account people's different life situations, financial possibilities and living arrangements as well as regional differences. In addition to promoting demand-response solutions, energy storage systems should also be developed, according to the assembly members.
Demand response is an energy management concept in which end consumers respond to incentives or signals in order to temporarily adjust or reduce their energy consumption. The aim is to flexibly control the demand for energy in order to avoid bottlenecks in the electricity grid or to react to price fluctuations. This can be achieved by shifting energy consumption to times of lower demand, activating energy storage systems or deactivating non-essential loads. Demand response plays an important role in integrating renewable energies and ensuring grid stability.
'A valuable contribution'
‘The Citizens' Assembly plays a unique and important role in supporting the preparation of policy decisions by providing thoughtful feedback on the appropriateness of measures from a citizen's perspective. For the Ministry of the Environment, the results of the meeting are a valuable contribution to the preparation of decisions, especially on housing issues,‘ said Juhani Damski, State Secretary at the Ministry of the Environment, at the presentation of the citizens’ proposals.
Riku Huttunen, Director General of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, added: ‘Consumers are the main stakeholders, whether it is about energy solutions or, for example, electricity consumption. It is therefore important and valuable to activate and consult citizens.’
8,000 invitations
To recruit participants for the Citizens' Assembly, invitations and an associated survey were sent to 8,000 people drawn at random. This meant that every citizen of Finland aged 18 and over had an equal chance of being invited to the mini-public.
From the pool of volunteers, 75 participants were selected to ensure a diverse representation of Finland’s population based on predetermined quotas.
Participation did not require prior knowledge of the topic, but attendees must commit to all meetings. Travel and accommodation expenses were reimbursed, and participants received a commission for their involvement.
Sessions online and in person
The citizens’ assembly met:
- In person in Helsinki over two weekends: February 1–2 and February 15–16, 2025.
- Online on two evenings: January 29 and February 12, 2025, from 5 PM to 8 PM.
Before the assembly, participants studied background materials provided to familiarize themselves with the topic. During the sessions, they heard from multiple energy sector experts, deliberated on various perspectives and the information presented, and collaboratively drafted a public statement. This statement will be published and submitted to the ministries.
The assembly was guided by trained moderators. Discussions followed the principles of deliberative citizen dialogue, which emphasize listening to diverse viewpoints and carefully weighing them against relevant information.
Citizens' Assembly organized by researchers
The citizens’ assembly was organized by researchers from the University of Turku and the Finnish Environment Institute (Syke) as part of the FLAIRE project. The assembly and related research were supported by the Strategic Research Council operating under the Academy of Finland.