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Task 24: Co-creating behaviour change insights with behaviour changers from around the world

Panel: 9. Consumption and behaviour

This is a peer-reviewed paper.

Author:
Sea Rotmann, SEA - Sustainable Energy Advice, New Zealand

Abstract

The International Energy Agency’s Demand Side Management Programme’s Task 24 engages a large number of global experts from many different countries, disciplines and sectors. We segment our target audience of so-called ‘Behaviour Changers’ into 5 main actors from: Government (‘the Decisionmaker’), Industry (‘the Provider’), Research (‘the Expert’), Middle Actors (‘the Doers’) and the Third Sector (‘the Conscience’).

Each one of these Behaviour Changers has important tools at their disposal, but each also faces restrictions due to their specific mandates and stakeholders. Some of their relationships with each other, and the end user whose behaviour they are trying to change, are strong and others have in-built systemic conflicts that need to be overcome. We designed a new ‘Behaviour Changer Framework’ of how to view the energy system from the human, rather than a technocratic perspective. At the 2015 Behavior, Energy and Climate Change conference this was christened a ‘magic carpet for behaviour change'. It draws on various sociological and psychological models but adds its own unique flavour which is explored in field research settings on specific issues in each of our 7 participating countries.

We run workshops on real-life behaviour change issues with relevant Behaviour Changers from each sector designing, implementing, evaluating and disseminating interventions, together. This Task is a truly collaborative effort, where co-creation, including from the End User perspective, is key. Our overarching ‘language’ uses narratives and storytelling and we are developing behaviour change evaluation methods that go beyond kWh and beyond energy by focusing on double-loop learning strategies and co-benefits.

This paper provides an overview of the various tools Task 24 has co-created with its global expert network, how they have been used in practice in real-life situations and pilots and what the future of a collaborative, human-centric energy system could look like.

This display was awarded the price for most promising or innovative project or method by the popular vote.

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