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Tyrannies of thrift: Governmentality and older, low-income people’s energy efficiency narratives in the Illawarra, Australia

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  • Waitt, Gordon
  • Roggeveen, Kate
  • Gordon, Ross
  • Butler, Katherine
  • Cooper, Paul

Abstract

Social scientists are arguing that energy policies should pay more attention to everyday life to address energy efficiency. Scholars are now positing that energy policy needs to move beyond essentialised understandings of people positioned as the problem and seek to involve household members as part of the solution. Joining this conversation, we explore the energy narratives of low-income people aged 60 years and over, living in private sector housing. Participants shared their energy efficiency stories during focus groups conducted in the Illawarra, Australia. The paper explores how Foucault's concept of governmentality may help inform energy efficiency programs by paying close attention to the way in which individual energy choices made under certain circumstances create who an individual becomes. Learning from participants, our governmentality analysis revealed the tyrannies of thrifty domestic energy conduct. We illustrate our argument drawing on the examples of practices relating to clothing and lighting. We outline how governmentality analysis can be used by researchers, policy makers and practitioners to assist people to safely negotiate energy efficiency in their domestic lives.

Suggested Citation

  • Waitt, Gordon & Roggeveen, Kate & Gordon, Ross & Butler, Katherine & Cooper, Paul, 2016. "Tyrannies of thrift: Governmentality and older, low-income people’s energy efficiency narratives in the Illawarra, Australia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 37-45.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:enepol:v:90:y:2016:i:c:p:37-45
    DOI: 10.1016/j.enpol.2015.11.033
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    Cited by:

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    2. Gordon, Ross & Dibb, Sally & Magee, Christopher & Cooper, Paul & Waitt, Gordon, 2018. "Empirically testing the concept of value-in-behavior and its relevance for social marketing," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 56-67.
    3. Willand, Nicola & Horne, Ralph, 2018. "“They are grinding us into the ground” – The lived experience of (in)energy justice amongst low-income older households," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C), pages 61-70.
    4. Allison Joy Bailey & Caitlin M. Wills & Jamie Mitchem, 2022. "Attitudes towards climate change and scientific stories," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 12(4), pages 714-726, December.
    5. Middlemiss, Lucie & Stevens, Merel & Ambrosio-Albalá, Pepa & Pellicer-Sifres, Victoria & van Grieken, Amy, 2023. "How do interventions for energy poverty and health work?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    6. McAndrew, Ryan & Mulcahy, Rory & Gordon, Ross & Russell-Bennett, Rebekah, 2021. "Household energy efficiency interventions: A systematic literature review," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    7. Gordon, Ross & Harada, Theresa & Spotswood, Fiona, 2022. "The body politics of successful ageing in the nexus of health, well-being and energy consumption practices," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 294(C).
    8. Carmen E. Elrick-Barr & Timothy F. Smith, 2022. "Current Information Provision Rarely Helps Coastal Households Adapt to Climate Change," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-12, March.

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