Deep Retrofit: Energy Cultures and the Importance of Energy Practices Within Households

Dr Eimear Heaslip, NUIG: Deep Retrofit: Energy Cultures and the Importance of Energy Practices Within Households, SEAI Deep Retrofit conference, June 21st 2017

1. Dr Eimear Heaslip NUI Galway Towards Zero: SEAI's National Deep Retrofit Conference 2017 Aviva Stadium , June 21 st 2017 Energy cultures and the importance of energy practices within households

2. energy research needs social science 2 Reference: Sovacool , B.K., 2014. Energy studies need social science.  Nature ,  511 (7511), p.529.

3. Retrofitting - household energy use still increasing? 3 Residential energy use increased by 5.2% in 2015 relative to 2014 (3.5% when corrected for weather effects) ( SEAI, 2016) Image source: telegraph.co.uk

4. 4 11.5% in 2015 Reference: SEAI (2016), Energy in Ireland 1990 – 2015, 2016 Report The price of oil to Irish households fell in the region of 20% at the same time. 2.3% in 2015 (25% of residential energy use) 3.6% in 2015 (21% of residential energy use) 0.3% in 2015 (10.2% of residential energy use) Retrofitting - household energy use still increasing? Image source: shutterstock Image source: bikeradar.com Image source: gettyimage.ie Image source: bordnamona.ie

5. What is sustainable Energy use? 5 The use of goods and services that meet people’s basic needs and bring a better quality of life while having only minimal impact on the environment (Jackson 2006). Image source: UNDESADSD

6. Sustainable Energy use - issues 6 Contestable - debates about: N eeds versus wants

7. Sustainable Energy Use - issues 7 Contestable - debates about: N eeds versus wants Q uality of life

8. Sustainable Energy use - issues 8 Contestable - debates about: N eeds versus wants Q uality of life D egrees of acceptable impact on the environment

9. Routines and ruptures 9 Routines : (combinations of) practices that are carried out repeatedly and that become habitual in the process Image source: learnenglishforum.com

10. Ruptures and routines 10 Ruptures : processes or events that interrupt routines Hello, electric company? Uh oh!

11. Conceptualisations of energy research in the social sciences 11 Social Practice Theory Energy Cultures Framework

12. Practices and Cultures 12 Practice: more or less routinised activity that incorporates meaning, skills and competences, material and technological elements, and uses energy - important social-scientific concept and heuristic tool Culture: collectively shared , taken-for-granted prescriptions for the adoption of particular (bundles of) practices to meet the demands of everyday life (e.g. organisation of food provision, regulation of gender and family roles)

13. ENERGISE Project overview Taking into account everyday practices related to energy services 13 How practices play out among different socio-economic groups, and across cultures and contexts What people actually do , across cultures and contexts Involving habits / routines that can be energy intensive What people say / believe in

14. Social Practice theory 14 Meaning Competence Material Cultural conventions, expectations and socially shared meanings Knowledge and embodied skills Objects, tools and infrastructures Reference: Shove, E., Pantzar , M. and Watson, M., 2012.  The dynamics of social practice: Everyday life and how it changes . Sage publications.

15. Social Practice theory and Retrofitting 15 Necessity or choice? Comfort or cost? Understanding how to use heating systems, understanding how insulation etc. works Ease of accessibility to retrofitting experts, availability of grants and funding for retrofitting Meaning Competence Material Adapted from: Shove, E., Pantzar , M. and Watson, M., 2012.  The dynamics of social practice: Everyday life and how it changes . Sage publications.

16. Norms Material Culture Energy cultures framework 16 Practices Reference: Stephenson, J., Barton, B., Carrington, G., Gnoth , D., Lawson, R. and Thorsnes , P., 2010. Energy cultures: A framework for understanding energy behaviours.  Energy policy ,  38 (10), pp.6120-6129. External influences External influences External influences External influences

17. Norms Material Culture Highly efficient heating systems High building fabric performance Availability of grants for undertaking retrofitting Renewable heating technologies Energy cultures framework and retrofitting 17 Uptake of grants for undertaking retrofitting Increased use of efficient heating systems and thermostats Increased monitoring of energy used for heating Practices Growing environmental awareness and concern Increased expectations of comfort Ease of information distribution and sharing Adapted from: Stephenson, J., Barton, B., Carrington, G., Gnoth , D., Lawson, R. and Thorsnes , P., 2010. Energy cultures: A framework for understanding energy behaviours.  Energy policy ,  38 (10), pp.6120-6129.

18. Geographic scope 18 Blue : ENERGISE Living Labs Countries Grey + Blue : Countries covered by ENERGISE synthesis and classification work Comprehensively covers full spectrum of consumption in the European Union Investigates the factors driving individual and collective energy choices and practices Classifies energy initiatives in 30 European countries to inform the subsequent design, rollout and monitoring of two culturally sensitive Living Labs, to reduce household energy consumption, across eight countries.

19. What are living labs 19 Living lab(oratory): describes a process, initiative or ‘real-world experiment’ that is spatially defined, brings together diverse social actors , with a view to fostering innovation, research and development . Living Labs explicitly encourage innovation through the application of both lay and scientific expert knowledge to real-world problems (e.g. excessive energy uses).

20. Engaging consumers Living Lab approaches, towards participative and collaborative research and action 20 Considering both individual and collective interventions

21. Project Summary 21

22. Thank you for your attention Tel.: + 353 91492171 Email: [email protected] Website : http://www.energise-project.eu/ T witter : @ENERGISEproject Nui galway