Kirsten Gram-Hanssen

Standby Consumption in Households Analyzed with a Practice Theory Approach

This article focuses on the energy consumption of households and the question of how daily routines can be changed in a more sustainable direction. It discusses different theoretical approaches with which to understand consumer behavior and introduces practice theory that emphasizes sociotechnical structures as the basis for analyzing stability of consumer practices and opportunities for change. Through analysis of ten in-depth interviews with families participating in a project aimed at reducing standby consumption, it is shown how technological configurations, everyday life routines, knowledge, and motivation constitute the practice and also structure the possibilities for change. The article concludes by contending that a conception of human behavior that is both less rational and less individualistic is needed to understand stability and change of households’ energy consumption behavior.

Understanding change and continuity in residential energy consumption

Practice theory has recently emerged within consumer studies as a promising approach that shifts focus from the individual consumer towards the collective aspects of consumption, and from spectacular and conspicuous dimensions of consumption towards routine and mundane aspects of consumption. Practice theory is, however, not a commonly agreed upon theory, but more like an approach, or a turn within contemporary social theory. When using practice theory in consumer studies, there are thus several conditions that need further clarification. The focus in this article is on how change and continuity in practices can be understood in practice theory. Discussions will include the balance between routinization and reflectivity as well as ways to understand the role of new technology in introducing change in consumer practices. One aspect of this is a discussion on how to include technologies and other types of material consumer goods in practice theory. Case studies on household energy consumption are used as an empirical basis for these discussions. Looking at household energy consumption through the theoretical lens of practice theory necessitates discussion on whether energy consumption should be viewed as one single practice or part of several different practices. The latter stimulates questioning on how these different consumer practices are related to each other horizontally and vertically, as parallel practices or as different levels of practices, and whether changes in one practice affect (or refrain from affecting) other related consumer practices, whether through reflexivity, routines or the materiality of consumer goods.

House, home and identity from a consumption perspective

What does a home signify to its residents? What priorities determine the choice of a house? What makes a house a home? How and why do residents maintain and decorate their homes? These are some of the questions that have been posed in 13 qualitative in‐depth interviews with families living in older villas and in standard houses since the 1970s. The interviews demonstrate how residential neighbourhoods are associated with different symbolic values and how these values influence the choice of home. A lifestyle‐concept based on modern class structures is easily found in this material and shows how social structures can be retrieved from the urban geography. However, home decoration and furnishing shows a less structured and more individualistic self‐expressive approach to the lifestyle‐concept in terms of home and identity.

A practice–theory approach to homeowners' energy retrofits in four European areas

This article examines whether and how energy retrofitting of owner-occupied dwellings can be understood within the framework of social practice theories. Practice theories help to shift the focus towards more collective approaches and practices, rather than towards individuals. In addressing this question, energy retrofits are described and their variability compared in four European areas: Denmark, Latvia, the Coimbra area in Portugal and Wallonia in Belgium. Although these areas have different geographical, cultural and housing contexts, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) provides a common form of regulation. As a policy, its main underlying intention is to promote the opportunities for energy retrofitting. Based on an analysis of 60 in-depth interviews with homeowners, it is found that energy retrofitting is not an integrative practice in 2010, despite the EPBD and other efforts to enforce such a practice. This lack of a retrofitting practice exists for a variety of reasons: it is not sustained by common and conventionalized routines, and by shared know-how and goals among relevant actors (e.g. homeowners and craftsmen). Based on practice theories, novel policy recommendations are provided to help to constitute an energy-related renovation practice in detached owner-occupied houses.

Home Dissolution: What Happens After Separation?

Building a home and creating a family are highly interconnected processes. So what happens to the home when people separate or divorce? This paper addresses this question using both a quantitative and a qualitative approach. Based on an extensive database with socio-economic background data of 42 000 separated Danish couples in 2002, the housing careers of both partners were followed to see how the housing situation of different types of people was affected by the separation. In the qualitative approach, nine interviews with couples who had parted shed light on the emotions and practical problems of dissolving a home: how to decide who should stay? Who should move? What was it like to stay alone in, or to leave, the matrimonial home?

Retrofitting owner-occupied housing: remember the people

Energy use in buildings accounts for almost 40% of all CO2 emissions in the European Union and other developed countries. The building sector, and especially the housing sector, is often identified as providing the largest potential for CO2 reduction (European Commission, 2006). Although it may be questioned whether the potential is really that big, and whether it is reasonable to place the major burden for CO2 reductions on the building sector, there is no doubt that reduction of CO2 emissions from buildings is of major importance. In discussions on low energy architecture, the focus is often on new buildings and their potential for reducing or eliminating energy consumption, particularly for space heating and cooling purposes. This is evident in zero-emission buildings and passive houses. However, the largest potential for energy reductions in most developed countries is within the existing buildings. The longevity of buildings and the building stock (typically 50–100 years) means that for a very long time ahead the majority of the building stock will be constituted by buildings from before the current era of low energy regulation (Power, 2008).

Teenage consumption of cleanliness: How to make it sustainable

Abstract One third of all water and energy in Denmark, and in many other developed countries, is consumed directly in households. A significant part of this usage is related to cleanliness practices that are steadily changing toward more frequent showers and clothes washing. These trends will inevitably lead to still greater water and energy consumption. This article analyzes a set of in-depth interviews with teenagers and their parents to shed light on the cultural and social processes that shape cleanliness practices in the transition from child to adult. The conceptual perspective of this work is primarily predicated upon consumer theory that encompass modern and late modern consumption, conspicuous and ordinary consumption, and risk handling and hedonism in everyday life. Analysis shows that cleanliness practices are handed down from parents to children and also are subject to strong peer-group influence. Furthermore, the practices may involve considerations about risk handling in everyday life related to health issues. However, broader notions of sustainability are seldom reflected. The conclusion relates these insights to several policy questions.

Incorporating inhabitants’ everyday practices into domestic retrofits

Energy-focused retrofit projects are often framed in terms of overcoming technical problems and optimizing the technical and economic performance of houses. However, this paper argues that the success of energy-focused retrofit projects (in terms of saving energy) is conditioned by their compatibility with the everyday practices of the families living afterwards in the retrofitted house. The question is whether ideas of the future everyday practices of the inhabitants are included in the planning and design of the retrofit and, if they are included, is this in order to create a material setting to accommodate environmentally preferred everyday practices? The theoretical framework of the study is founded on the crossroads between a practice–theoretical approach and a concept of design dispositions. Empirical material includes three different case studies: a do-it-yourself retrofit project; a retrofit project where idea, initiative and work are performed by professional building companies; and retrofit projects where the municipality is the main initiator of the retrofit. It is found that context-rich retrofits, in which homeowners are involved in taking decisions on the basis of technical input, are the best framing of energy retrofits. The facilitation of everyday practices (and appropriate feedback loops) can actually help to reduce consumption.

Energy retrofits of Danish homes: is the Energy Performance Certificate useful?

Energy retrofitting of the existing dwelling stock represents one of the major challenges for the transition to a low carbon society, as about 19% of the final energy consumption in the European Union relates to heating of dwellings. Danish homeowners’ experiences with the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) are examined, as it was introduced in 1997 (prior to a similar scheme introduced later in the European Union). The main research question is whether the EPC has an influence on Danish homeowners’ energy retrofit practices. Homeowners’ understanding of and trust in the EPC are analyzed, based on an online survey of homeowners (N = 743) living in a home with a recently issued EPC. Results indicate that the EPC has a limited influence on homeowners’ energy retrofit practices. Despite most homeowners finding the EPC reliable and easy to understand, relatively few find it useful as a source of information for home retrofits. In its current form, the EPC is insufficient to encourage homeowners to undertake energy retrofits of their home. Improvements to address this problem in the administration, scope and layout of the EPC are suggested.

Selling and installing heat pumps: influencing household practices

ABSTRACT When installing energy-efficient technologies in housing, such as heat pumps, the energy savings predicted by technical analyses are often not realized, resulting in a performance gap. This study focuses on air-to-air heat pumps in residential settings. Interviews with actors in Scandinavia who are involved in selling and installing heat pumps are analysed to understand what role these actors have in relation to the performance gap. Previous studies have focused on households and their everyday practices with heat pumps. This study focuses on the process of integrating the heat-pump technologies into homes, and analyses the role of professional practices from supply-side actors (e.g. advice, provision and installation) in relation to questions of residential comfort, know-how and use, as well as the material (physical) integration of heat pumps into homes. In analysing these questions, the study’s contribution is a focus on how to understand material elements within practice–theoretical approaches. From a policy perspective, the analysis shows that a sole focus on the efficiency of technologies is too limited in terms of achieving reduced energy consumption. There is potential for different actors on the provision side to be assigned new roles in order to realize more energy savings.