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Anchoring energy efficiency information in households’ everyday projects: peoples’ understanding of renewable heating systems
University West, Department of Social and Behavioural Studies, Division of Social Pedagogy and Sociology.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-4382-1215
Linköping University, Department of Thematic Studies, Technology and Social Change.
2015 (English)In: Energy Efficiency, ISSN 1570-646X, E-ISSN 1570-6478, Vol. 8, no 2, p. 353-364Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

This article claims that the contents of energy conservation information policy instruments must be better adapted to household members’ everyday life experiences in order to capture their interest and transform information into action. The article elaborates on how to ground energy policy information in the everyday doings and strivings of households. Using two time-geographical concepts, i.e. activity and project, we investigate how people understand and define their energy-related activities as parts of overarching everyday projects with a focus on the constraints on energy conservation. The analysis is empirically based on interview data from a case study of households’ use of renewable heating technologies. The results illustrate how peoples’ heating activities are related to everyday projects such as reducing environmental impact, comfort for a convenient daily life, the household budget balance, learning about and/or maintaining home technologies and hobbies. One conclusion is that information instruments focusing solely on one or two such projects might hamper the translation from information to action and also limit the number of people interested in or able to access the information. Another conclusion is that the growing use of energy efficient technologies might influence new habits and perceptions of the everyday use of energy, making common economic motives for saving energy less useful. Anchoring energy-related information and support in the everyday activities and projects of households would facilitate the translation process. If this is achieved, information could prove a useful instrument in the broader reorganization of societal institutions in a sustainable direction.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2015. Vol. 8, no 2, p. 353-364
Keywords [en]
Energy use information, household context, time-geography, translation, renewable heating systems
National Category
Sociology (excluding Social Work, Social Psychology and Social Anthropology)
Research subject
SOCIAL SCIENCE, Sociology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:hv:diva-7222DOI: 10.1007/s12053-014-9299-xISI: 000351309600011OAI: oai:DiVA.org:hv-7222DiVA, id: diva2:774123
Available from: 2014-12-22 Created: 2014-12-22 Last updated: 2019-05-14Bibliographically approved

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Isaksson, Charlotta

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