IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/enepol/v84y2015icp241-249.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Living with low carbon technologies: An agenda for sharing and comparing qualitative energy research

Author

Listed:
  • Bickerstaff, Karen
  • Devine-Wright, Patrick
  • Butler, Catherine

Abstract

Policies to reduce the carbon intensity of domestic living place considerable emphasis on the diffusion of low(er) carbon technologies-from microgeneration to an array of feedback and monitoring devices. These efforts presume that low carbon technologies (LCTs) will be accepted and integrated into domestic routines in the ways intended by their designers. This study contributes to an emerging qualitative energy research (QER) literature by deploying an analytical approach that explores comparison of data from two UK projects (‘Carbon, Comfort and Control’ and 'Conditioning Demand’) concerned, in broad terms, with householder-LCTs interactions — primarily associated with the production and maintenance of thermal comfort. In-depth, and in many cases repeat, interviews were conducted in a total of 18 households where devices such as heat pumps and thermal feedback lamps had recently been installed. We discuss this comparative process and how a reflexive reading of notions of (and strategies associated with) credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmablity enabled new ways of working and thinking with existing data. We conclude by highlighting the contrasts, conflicts, but also creativities raised by drawing these connections, and consider implications for methodologies associated with qualitative energy research.

Suggested Citation

  • Bickerstaff, Karen & Devine-Wright, Patrick & Butler, Catherine, 2015. "Living with low carbon technologies: An agenda for sharing and comparing qualitative energy research," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 241-249.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:84:y:2015:i:c:p:241-249
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2015.04.015
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421515001573
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.enpol.2015.04.015?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hargreaves, Tom & Nye, Michael & Burgess, Jacquelin, 2013. "Keeping energy visible? Exploring how householders interact with feedback from smart energy monitors in the longer term," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 126-134.
    2. Aune, Margrethe, 2007. "Energy comes home," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(11), pages 5457-5465, November.
    3. Gill Valentine, 2006. "Relevance and Rigour: The Advantages of Reusing and Scaling up Qualitative Data," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 38(3), pages 413-415, March.
    4. Justin Spinney & Nicola Green & Kate Burningham & Geoff Cooper & David Uzzell, 2012. "Are We Sitting Comfortably? Domestic Imaginaries, Laptop Practices, and Energy Use," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 44(11), pages 2629-2645, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sommerfeld, Jeff & Buys, Laurie & Vine, Desley, 2017. "Residential consumers’ experiences in the adoption and use of solar PV," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 10-16.
    2. Day, Rosie, 2015. "Low carbon thermal technologies in an ageing society – What are the issues?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 250-256.
    3. Alisa Freyre & Stefano Cozza & Matthias Rüetschi & Meinrad Bürer & Marlyne Sahakian & Martin K. Patel, 2021. "How to Improve Effectiveness of Renewable Space Heating Programs by Better Understanding Homeowner—Installer Interactions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-24, July.
    4. Joost van Hoof & Helen Bennetts & Alana Hansen & Jan K. Kazak & Veronica Soebarto, 2019. "The Living Environment and Thermal Behaviours of Older South Australians: A Multi-Focus Group Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(6), pages 1-19, March.
    5. Fox, Kenneth A. & Lefsrud, Lianne M., 2021. "The ecology of regulatory change: The security and exchange commission’s modernization of oil and gas reserves reporting," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    6. Rolando-Arturo Cubillos-González & Grace Tiberio Cardoso, 2020. "Clean Technology Transfer and Innovation in Social Housing Production in Brazil and Colombia. A Framework from a Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-12, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Elena Chernovich, 2013. "Technology and pro-environmental behavior in urban households: how technologies mediate domestic routines," HSE Working papers WP BRP 18/STI/2013, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    2. Niamh Murtagh & Birgitta Gatersleben & David Uzzell, 2014. "20∶60∶20 - Differences in Energy Behaviour and Conservation between and within Households with Electricity Monitors," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(3), pages 1-12, March.
    3. Burchell, Kevin & Rettie, Ruth & Roberts, Tom C., 2016. "Householder engagement with energy consumption feedback: the role of community action and communications," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 178-186.
    4. Chou, Jui-Sheng & Gusti Ayu Novi Yutami, I, 2014. "Smart meter adoption and deployment strategy for residential buildings in Indonesia," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 128(C), pages 336-349.
    5. Bożena Gajdzik & Magdalena Jaciow & Radosław Wolniak & Robert Wolny & Wieslaw Wes Grebski, 2023. "Assessment of Energy and Heat Consumption Trends and Forecasting in the Small Consumer Sector in Poland Based on Historical Data," Resources, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-33, September.
    6. Bardsley, Nicholas & Büchs, Milena & James, Patrick & Papafragkou, Anastasios & Rushby, Thomas & Saunders, Clare & Smith, Graham & Wallbridge, Rebecca & Woodman, Nicholas, 2019. "Domestic thermal upgrades, community action and energy saving: A three-year experimental study of prosperous households," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 475-485.
    7. Brown, Christopher J. & Markusson, Nils, 2019. "The responses of older adults to smart energy monitors," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 218-226.
    8. Hopkins, Debbie & Stephenson, Janet, 2014. "Generation Y mobilities through the lens of energy cultures: a preliminary exploration of mobility cultures," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 88-91.
    9. Molinari, Marco & Anund Vogel, Jonas & Rolando, Davide & Lundqvist, Per, 2023. "Using living labs to tackle innovation bottlenecks: the KTH Live-In Lab case study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 338(C).
    10. Attour, Amel & Baudino, Marco & Krafft, Jackie & Lazaric, Nathalie, 2020. "Determinants of energy tracking application use at the city level: Evidence from France," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    11. Penelope Buckley, 2020. "Prices, information and nudges for residential electricity conservation : A meta-analysis," Post-Print hal-02500507, HAL.
    12. Joeri Naus & Hilje M van der Horst, 2017. "Accomplishing information and change in a smart grid pilot: Linking domestic practices with policy interventions," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 35(3), pages 379-396, May.
    13. Osunmuyiwa, Olufolahan O. & Peacock, Andrew D. & Payne, Sarah R. & Vigneswara Ilavarasan, P. & Jenkins, David P., 2021. "Divergent imaginaries? Co-producing practitioner and householder perspective to cooling demand response in India," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    14. Büchs, Milena & Bahaj, AbuBakr S. & Blunden, Luke & Bourikas, Leonidas & Falkingham, Jane & James, Patrick & Kamanda, Mamusu & Wu, Yue, 2018. "Promoting low carbon behaviours through personalised information? Long-term evaluation of a carbon calculator interview," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 284-293.
    15. Ryghaug, Marianne & Sørensen, Knut H., 2009. "How energy efficiency fails in the building industry," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 984-991, March.
    16. Buchanan, Kathryn & Banks, Nick & Preston, Ian & Russo, Riccardo, 2016. "The British public’s perception of the UK smart metering initiative: Threats and opportunities," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 87-97.
    17. Reeve, Ian & Scott, John & Hine, Donald W. & Bhullar, Navjot, 2013. "“This is not a burning issue for me”: How citizens justify their use of wood heaters in a city with a severe air pollution problem," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 204-211.
    18. Kendel, Adnane & Lazaric, Nathalie & Maréchal, Kevin, 2017. "What do people ‘learn by looking’ at direct feedback on their energy consumption? Results of a field study in Southern France," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 593-605.
    19. Buchanan, Kathryn & Russo, Riccardo & Anderson, Ben, 2015. "The question of energy reduction: The problem(s) with feedback," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 89-96.
    20. Tjørring, Lise & Jensen, Carsten Lynge & Hansen, Lars Gårn & Andersen, Laura Mørch, 2018. "Increasing the flexibility of electricity consumption in private households: Does gender matter?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 9-18.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:84:y:2015:i:c:p:241-249. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/enpol .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.