User innovation in sustainable home energy technologies

Hyysalo, Sampsa; Juntunen, Jouni K.; Freeman, Stephanie

doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2012.12.038

Cited by 95 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 105 publications

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“…A Finnish study of heat pump and wood pellet installations identified 192 types of modifications made by users in order to improve the compatibility of the installation with their specific home (Hyysalo et al, 2013). The desire to understand the technology being adopted was stated by, for example, a biomass adopter in the RECharge case study who, at the time of interview, was trialling a third boiler design after two previous boilers, from two separate manufacturers had failed to function effectively: While the themes described above all focus on the adviser/installer as an individual, other comments on the role of the adviser/installer illustrated important issues in the system in which the adviser or installer operated.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unseen influence—The role of low carbon retrofit advisers and installers in the adoption and use of domestic energy technology

Owen¹,

Mitchell²,

Gouldson³

2014

Energy Policy

100

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Abstract:Reducing climate changing emissions associated with residential property continues to be a significant challenge. Five case studies of different domestic energy technology schemes in England highlight the influence of advisers and installers in househol carbon technologies. Many of these advisers and installers are micro-enterprises working in connected groups in particular geographic areas. Such micro-enterprises form a large part of the construction sector, but despite the number of enterprises and the potential impact of changes in the behaviour of the sole traders and small firms, there appears to be little policy that specifically targets this group. Data from these case studies is presented and organised into a typological framework, in order to illustrate the range of ways in which the impact of advisers and installers can be modified. Two of the six factors in the typological framework relate to the motivation of installers themselves and how their work is perceived by their clients. By examining these factors in particular, this paper makes a novel contribution to understanding the factors that influence the take up and use of domestic energy technologies, leading to the possibility of new policy options or interventions. Green Deal is a scheme which allows private householders to repay the costs of energy efficiency improvements through their energy bills rather than needing up front capital payments. The Energy 4Companies Obligation complements the Green Deal by placing a legal requirement on energy suppliers to implement energy efficiency measures, particularly for more vulnerable groups of energy users.Energy technology retrofit clearly has potential to deliver significant emission reductions, but in practice, the success of retrofitting existing building stock to low carbon standards is dependent on social, cultural and economic change as much as technical innovation (Ravetz, 2008). Here, we investigate the role of a largely overlooked change agent in this broadly conceived retrofit process, the energy technology installers and advisers. We explore the interaction of these agents with householders in an effort to better understand their role and influence in the domestic energy retrofit process. We begin by briefly reviewing the factors that affect uptake and use of domestic energy technologies, before moving to the main focus of this paper, the influence of installers and advisers. We explore the role and impact of the adviser and installer through analysis of primary data from five English case studies. We conclude that their role is significant but that some of the characteristics of a large proportion of the advisers and installers mean that they are beyond the reach of current policy interventions. A framework for understanding individual adviser/installer attributes and competencies is developed, which we suggest can help to identify how policy and practice might reach these key individuals and unlock their potential to contribute to, and accelerate, the essential low carbon retrofit...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Unseen influence—The role of low carbon retrofit advisers and installers in the adoption and use of domestic energy technology

Owen¹,

Mitchell²,

Gouldson³

2014

Energy Policy

100

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Users also express their status and identity by giving symbolic meanings to new technologies. Finally, as evidenced in the case of heating pumps in Finland, users are also instrumental in providing advice to other, less-experienced or would-be users 60 . This side of user activity is not captured by formal economic models which tend to see the user mainly as a mere choice-maker in the market.…”

Section: Learning To Rethinkmentioning

confidence: 99%

The roles of users in shaping transitions to new energy systems

2016

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Current government information policies and market-based instruments aimed at influencing energy choices of consumers often ignore the fact that consumer behavior is not fully reducible to individuals making rational conscious decisions all the time. Rather, the decisions of consumers are largely configured by shared routines embedded in socio-technical systems. To achieve a transition towards a decarbonized and energy-efficient system, an approach is needed that goes beyond individual consumer choice and puts shared routines and system change at its center.Here, adopting a transitions perspective, we argue that consumers should be reconceptualized as users who are important stakeholders in the innovation process and are shaping new routines and enacting system change. We review the role of users in the building up of new decarbonized and energy-efficient systems and provide a typology of user roles.

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“…Some contributions focus on technology, innovation and (lack of) communication, stressing the importance of communicating about energy efficiency and new energy technologies rather than social and value concerns. A main finding is that experts misunderstand how households make decisions because they do not grasp consumers´ logic of energy consumption (Heiskanen and Lavio, 2010;Hyysalo et al, 2013;Palm 2013). This leads to the issue of how to comprehend this logic.…”

Section: Concerned Consumption Global Warming Changing Household Dommentioning

confidence: 99%

Concerned consumption. Global warming changing household domestication of energy

et al. 2016

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This paper addresses possible effects of the growing focus on global warming on households' domestication of energy and the dynamics of energy consumption by comparing data pertaining to the domestication of energy within Norwegian households from two time periods: first, 1991-1995, when climate change was given little public attention, and, second, 2006-2009, after climate change became a major public concern. In the first period, the domestication of energy resulted in an energy culture emphasizing comfort and convenience with respect to everyday life and the abundant supply of clean hydropower. In the second period, this culture seemed to have changed, making many households concerned about their energy consumption. Consumption of energy was linked to climate change, and many interviewees claimed to save energy. However, the dominant expectation was still to be able to manage everyday life in a convenient and comfortable way. Thus, climate change concerns produced important but not comprehensive changes in the domestication of energy. A main effect was feelings of guilt, tempered by arguments regarding why change is difficult and complaints about political inaction. Thus, public engagement with climate change issues may facilitate energy efficiency policy but to succeed, wider climate policy measures seem to be needed.

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User innovation in sustainable home energy technologies

Cited by 95 publications

References 105 publications

Unseen influence—The role of low carbon retrofit advisers and installers in the adoption and use of domestic energy technology

Unseen influence—The role of low carbon retrofit advisers and installers in the adoption and use of domestic energy technology

The roles of users in shaping transitions to new energy systems

Concerned consumption. Global warming changing household domestication of energy

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