Frankfurt – September 10, 2026 -- Rising energy and fuel prices are changing consumer behavior in Germany but failing to trigger a rapid shift toward climate-friendly energy solutions, according to a new BearingPoint survey. The management and technology consultancy found that 53% of respondents plan no switch to greener mobility or heating options over the next two years, leaving fossil fuel infrastructure under sustained demand for longer than markets anticipated.
Higher prices cut driving but stop short of triggering investment
The survey shows 38% of respondents report driving less due to energy and fuel price increases over the past twelve months. Around a quarter shifted to alternatives: 11% use public transport more often, 13% cycle more, and 4% use electric vehicles more frequently. Meanwhile, 42% say price increases had no effect on their mobility behavior at all.
Income gap widens access to climate-friendly upgrades
Only 15% of respondents plan to switch to greener mobility options such as EVs or hybrids within two years, and just 11% plan a heating transition to heat pumps or district heating. The income divide is stark: in the lowest income tercile, only 5% plan a mobility switch and 4% a heating switch, compared with 21% and 16% respectively in the highest income tercile. Germany's housing stock still counts over 19 million oil and gas heating systems, a number declining only slowly.
BearingPoint partner links transformation success to affordability
"Consumers react immediately to rising energy prices. The step from saving to investing is far harder. Whether climate-friendly energy solutions succeed will depend above all on their economic viability," said Nina London, Partner at BearingPoint.
A third of Germans see risk to energy supply security despite no actual shortages
57% of respondents consider Germany's energy supply secure over the next five years, but 40% see that security as limited, roughly a quarter expect risks, and one in ten anticipates shortages -- collectively putting a third of respondents in risk or shortage territory. This perception gap is notable given that physical energy supply in Germany was never rationed, even during the 2022 gas shortage crisis or subsequent geopolitical tensions. Perceived security tracks income closely: 64% of the top income tercile feel secure, versus 45% in the bottom tercile.
Resilience becomes an investment and asset-management challenge for energy firms
BearingPoint argues that a shrinking fossil fuel market does not automatically improve energy security and can instead increase economic pressure on supporting infrastructure -- grids, supply chains, storage, refining and distribution networks that must keep operating reliably through a prolonged transition. "The central question is how critical infrastructure remains economically viable, resilient and investable during a long transition phase. Companies must manage much more actively which assets are modernized, transformed or sold," London said.
The findings are based on a YouGov online survey commissioned by BearingPoint, polling 2,016 people in Germany between July 3-6, 2026, weighted by age, gender and region to be representative of the resident population aged 18 and above.