The energy cultures framework: Exploring the role of norms, practices and material culture in shaping energy behaviour in New Zealand

Abstract

The energy cultures framework was developed in 2009 to support interdisciplinary investigation into energy behaviour in New Zealand. In this paper, we discuss the framework in light of 5 years of empirical application and conceptual development. The concept of culture is helpful in seeking to better understand energy behaviour because it conveys how behaviours are embedded within the physical and social contexts of everyday life, and how they are both repetitive and heterogeneous. The framework suggests that the energy culture of a given subject (e.g. an individual, a household, a business, a sector) can be studied by examining the interrelationships between their norms, practices and material culture, and how these, in turn, are shaped by external influences. We discuss the key theoretical influences of the framework, and how the core concepts of the framework have evolved as we have applied them in different research situations. We then illustrate how we have applied the framework to a range of topics and sectors, and how it has been used to support interdisciplinary research, in identifying clusters of energy cultures, in examining energy cultures at different scales and in different sectors, and to inform policy development.

Evaluating the impact of energy interventions: home audits vs. community events

“…The mean indoor temperature in living areas in Fig. 1 The energy cultures framework (Stephenson et al 2010(Stephenson et al , 2015 this region during winter months is 14.7°C (Isaacs et al 2010). The city thus represents the cooler extremity of New Zealand's energy culture (Figs.…”

“…In practice theory, practice is seen as a routinised type of behaviour comprising Bforms of bodily activities, forms of mental activities, 'things' and their use, background knowledge in the form of understanding, know-how, states of emotion and motivational knowledge^ (Reckwitz 2002, p. 249). The energy cultures framework, in contrast, uses the plural form practices and differentiates between practices, things and mental states, while recognising that these are interrelated (Stephenson et al 2015). Practices in the energy cultures sense include everyday routinised activities as well as actions that may occur relatively infrequently in the life of an actor, such as the acquisition of new appliances.…”

“…The concept of 'energy cultures' (Stephenson et al 2010(Stephenson et al , 2015 is particularly helpful in this respect, in offering a framework for considering the way in which a household's patterns of energy use are shaped by a combination of external factors over which they have little or no control and also by the everyday interactions between norms, practices and material culture (the technologies and physical infrastructure of the home) (Fig. 1).…”

How many admirals does it take to change a light bulb? Organizational innovation, energy efficiency, and the United States Navy’s battle over LED lighting

“…We take recent literature on energy cultures as the backdrop for our study [6]. This literature highlights the large number of factors that researchers have identified as affecting energy behaviors, such as microeconomic theory and behavioral economics.…”

“…While there has been important progress in understanding behavioral factors, significant gaps remain in our knowledge of barriers to the adoption of new energy technologies. One important gap is the organizational decision processes involved in the adoption of energy innovations, a topic on which scholars have recently called for more research [6].…”