Kotitalouksien sähkösopimuskäyttäytyminen Suomessa vuoden 2022 energiakriisin aikaan

This study investigates how Finnish households selected, retained, and terminated electricity contracts before, during, and after the 2022 energy crisis. Using detailed household-level data from a Finnish electricity retailer covering 2021–2023, the analysis combines descriptive evidence with a multinomial logistic regression, a dynamic random-effects probit model, and logistic regressions of early contract termination. The empirical findings reveal that contract choices are shaped by a combination of persistent behavioural patterns and crisis-driven adjustments. Older households consistently prefer fixed-price contracts, while the role of electricity consumption varies over time: the likelihood for high-consuming households to select variable pricing decreased during the crisis, but shifted back in early 2023, coinciding with a decline in prices. Strong state dependence characterises all periods, though its magnitude diminishes during the crisis months, coinciding with a period of heightened price volatility and uncertainty. This pattern suggests more active reconsideration of contract types under exceptional market conditions. Price responsiveness is evident but context dependent: it is clearest before the crisis, muted during the most volatile months of late 2022, and only partly re-established thereafter. Finally, early contract exits increased noticeably during the crisis, with a notable rise in terminations linked to address changes, which might suggest some degree of strategic behaviour under extreme price conditions. Overall, the results show that Finnish households’ contract decisions were neither purely stable nor fully optimising, but adaptive and shaped by both economic incentives and behavioural frictions.