Consumer behaviour in Swedish households: routines and habits in everyday life

Panel: Panel 9: Dynamics of consumption

Authors:
Anna Green, Tema Technology and social change, Linköping University, Sweden
Kajsa Ellegård, Tema Technology and social change, Linköping University, Sweden

Abstract

Life at home is increasingly influenced by flexible work and school hours, and an overall increase in mobility, creating new types of activity- patterns in daily life that affect electricity use. This paper presents preliminary results from an investigation of the complex interplay between household members and their appliances, asking: Who uses different types of equipment, for what purposes, and how do they coordinate appliance use in everyday life? Knowing an average householder’s electricity use is insufficient, since individual variations might be big. Fifteen households were included in a qualitative study and data collected through in-depth interviews and time-diaries. Households were chosen among 400 households in a quantitative study measuring electricity use in Sweden. This paper addresses the behavioural aspects of this measurement study. The main findings are that household members’ appliance use at home, especially ICT devices, is individualized. More appliances per home make it possible for individual members to simultaneously use the same kind of equipment without disturbing each other. Many ICT appliances are always turned on because the lead time to start up is experienced as too long. Internal variations in work and school hours also make ICT-appliances serve as companionship when home alone. Better understanding of household appliance use may provide policy makers with insights about who to direct policy measures towards. If household members buying appliances are not the same as the ones using them, energy savings arguments must reach users not buyers otherwise users will not be aware of the energy consumption they generate.

In an international perspective, per capita electricity use in Sweden is high. The Swedish Energy Agency has been commissioned by the Swedish Government to measure the electricity use in about 400 households to see how much electricity different types of equipment, active or in standby, use in Swedish homes. To get a deeper understanding, the commission is widened to gain knowledge about household behaviour. It is not enough to know the electricity use of an average household member, since the individual variation might be big. Who uses different types of electric equipment, for what purposes and how do they coordinate the use of appliances in their everyday life? This paper is about the behavioural part of the measuring study made by the Swedish Energy Agency. It will increase the understanding of electricity use in households and serve policy makers with insights about who to direct policy measures towards. If the household member who buys the appliance is not the same as the one who uses it, arguments on energy savings must reach the user since the real users otherwise will not be aware of the energy consumption generated by their equipment. Concepts are needed to communicate what kinds of use of appliances are used in what kind of household contexts. Little is known about the use of electric appliances in households looked upon as situations of interplay between household members. Life at home is increasingly influenced by a more flexible labour market, flexible school attendance, and an overall increase in mobility, creating new types of activity patterns in daily life. This influences life at home and, of course, the use of electric appliances. This paper presents some preliminary results from the investigation of the complex interplay between household members in the home and related electricity use. About 15 households of various size, age and type of dwelling were chosen from the total of 400 in the quantitative study measuring electricity use, for qualitative research through in-depth interviews and time diaries. The main findings are that the household members’ use of electrical appliances at home, especially ICT devices, is individualized. More appliances in each home make it possible for individual household members to simultaneously use the same kind of equipment without disturbing each other. Much information, communication and entertainment appliances are always turned on because the lead time to start up is experienced as too long. Internal variations in work and school hours also make ICT-appliances serve as companionship when being alone at home.