Household energy use regarded as energy orders - practical implications for housing companies

Panel: 9. Dynamics of consumption

This is a peer-reviewed paper.

Authors:
Helena Karresand, Linköping University
Dept. of Thematic Studies - Technology and Social Change

Abstract

Building low energy housing is one way of reducing household energy use, particularly energy used for heating and warm water. Household appliance use, on the other hand, is often left out even though it contributes to overall energy use in households. Housing companies are therefore missing part of the potential in reducing energy use simply because the energy used for appliances not accounted for. However, research on household energy use in general is abundant, and the subject has been studied from different aspects and standpoints, for example, by regarding energy use as part of everyday practices. Another way of studying energy use in the home is to view energy use as energy orders. The energy order concept is based on time-geographical concepts and includes the concrete use of appliances and other material resources in the home as well as sequences of activities in their everyday context. With this approach, restrictions and possibilities for doing things differently in everyday life become clearer, making it easier to analyse where the possibilities for changed behaviour lie.

Interviews were conducted with 14 households, a total of 25 persons, to study how appliances and the design of low energy flats influence everyday activities. Results show that every household has unique energy orders, which means that households use resources in different ways depending on individual projects, capacities and everyday context. This leads to differences in energy use. On the other hand, the decisions made by housing companies have an impact on household energy behaviour, which means that households are able to influence energy use only to a certain degree. Housing companies should therefore communicate with their tenants in order to learn more about how tenants experience the material aspects of their flats and how they actually use both appliances and the flats in general. By doing this, housing companies would gain new knowledge and find opportunities to improve functionality in ways that enable different energy orders.