Tracey Crosbie

Household energy studies : The gap between theory and method

At the level of theory it is now widely accepted that energy consumption patterns are a complex technical and socio-cultural phenomenon and to understand this phenomenon, it must be viewed from both engineering and social science perspectives. However, the methodological approaches taken in household energy studies lag behind the theoretical advances made in the last ten or fifteen years. The quantitative research methods traditionally used within the fields of building science, economics, and psychology continue to dominate household energy studies, while the qualitative ethnographic approaches to examining social and cultural phenomena traditionally used within anthropology and sociology are most frequently overlooked. This paper offers a critical review of the research methods used in household energy studies which illustrates the scope and limitations of both qualitative and quantitative research methods in this area of study. In doing so it demonstrates that qualitative research methods are essential to designing effective energy efficiency interventions.

Work–life Balance and Working from Home

In recent years, there has been increasing focus on the question of how to balance work and life commitments in both academic and political debates. Homeworking is one initiative that has been promoted as a way of improving the work–life balance. This paper examines the experience of homeworking drawing on a recently completed ESRC study on homeworkers. Using the data from 45 interviews and 3 focus groups with homeworkers from different socio-economic backgrounds, it explores the question of whether working (or not) from home improves peoples capacity to balance their work and life commitments.

En'lightening' energy use: the co-evolution of household lighting practices

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs (CFLs) are a well-developed, readily available technology that could deliver substantial energy savings in the residential sector. Due to this, lighting is usually a preferred target for household energy-saving campaigns and policies. However, the energy used to light homes continues to rise. In order to explore the reasons behind this increase, this paper examines changing household lighting practices in the UK using recent in-depth interview data and drawing upon current sociological theories about the construction of consumption practices. The paper illustrates how lighting choices made by householders tend to co-evolve with the household lighting practices portrayed by the media. It concludes that policies seeking to promote energy-efficient lighting technologies would be well advised to enlist the support of lighting designers, manufacturers, advertisers and sales people involved in the presentation of household lighting practices in the media.

A visual energy performance assessment and decision support tool for dwellings

BackgroundThe target for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reduction in the UK is set at 20% by 2020 and 80% by 2050. The UK housing stock is one of the least energy efficient in Europe. The energy used in homes accounts for more than a quarter of energy use and carbon dioxide emissions in Great Britain. Therefore, it is imperative to improve the energy performance of the existing housing stock and fully exploit energy efficiency and renewable energy interventions. The UK has developed several policies and initiatives to improve the energy performance of the housing stock and there are a number of databases that hold information about the condition of the housing stock. However, existing approaches and tools do not allow decision makers to assess the environmental and economic effectiveness of CO2 reduction strategies at the neighbourhood level.MethodsThis research presents a methodology that integrates these energy databases with visualisation systems and multi-criteria decision analyses to enable the evaluation of the environmental and financial implications of various energy efficiency and renewable energy interventions at both building and neighbourhood levels. The methodology is prototyped in a proof-of-concept tool which is validated and tested in an empirical case study with local authorities and social housing providers.ResultsThe validation study compared the energy performance of the dwellings estimated by the proposed methodology with the energy performance calculated from actual survey and confirmed that the results are consistent. The case study demonstrated that the methodology and the prototype can be reliably utilised to evaluate the environmental and financial implications of various energy efficiency and renewable energy interventions.ConclusionThe findings illustrate that the tool is particularly useful for town planners, local authorities and social housing providers. They can make informed decisions about the implementation of energy policies and initiatives along with energy suppliers, building engineers and architects. The tool developed in the research and presented in this paper can contribute to meeting CO2 emission reduction targets.

Illuminating Household Energy Demand and the Policies for its Reduction

The amount of energy used to light homes in the UK continues to rise, despite the availability of compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs and significant policy efforts to reduce energy demand for domestic lighting. This paper examines household lighting demand, in the UK, from a socio-technical perspective, drawing on recent in-depth interview data. This research indicates that mood lighting is becoming increasingly significant, that a desire to have stylish interiors can override environmental principles, and that household lighting practices are heavily influenced by the media. The paper concludes that lighting policy must place greater emphasis on engaging with those involved in the design and promotion of household lighting, if we are to significantly reduce energy demand in this sector.

Future demand response services for blocks of buildings

Research surrounding demand response (DR) is beginning to consider how blocks of buildings can operate collectively within energy networks. DR at the level of a block of buildings involves near real-time optimisation of energy demand, storage and supply (including self-production) using intelligent energy management systems with the objective of reducing the difference between peak-power demand and minimum night-time demand, thus reducing costs and greenhouse gas emissions. To enable this it will be necessary to integrate and augment the telemetry and control technologies embedded in current building management systems and identify potential revenue sources: both of which vary according to local and national contexts. This paper discusses how DR in blocks of buildings might be achieved. The ideas proposed are based on a current EU funded collaborative research project called “Demand Response in Blocks of Buildings” (DR-BOB), and are envisaged to act as a starting-point for future research and innovation.

A Holistic Approach to Delivering Sustainable Design Education in Civil Engineering

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present pedagogical approaches developed and implemented to deliver sustainable design education (SDE) to second-year undergraduate students on civil engineering programmes in the (then) School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences at Newcastle University. In doing so, the work presented offers an example of how to help students understand the contested and contingent nature of sustainability. Design/methodology/approach The research presented takes an action-based approach to the development of a teaching and assessment model centered on problem- and project-based learning in a real-world context. Findings Because of the use of a design brief, which addresses a practical infrastructure problem encountered by regional communities, the academic team were able to make arguments related to the three pillars of sustainability more accessible to the students. This suggests that pedagogical instruments based on problem- and project-based learning strategies are effective in delivering SDE. Practical implications The successful delivery of SDE requires commitment from the senior management teams leading individual departments as well as commitments embedded in the high-level strategies of Higher Education institutions. It was also found that some students need extra support from the teaching staff if their engagement through SDE is to be successful. This has practical implications for the amount of contact time built into undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes. Originality/value The teaching and assessment model presented in this paper addresses various substantive and normative issues associated with SDE making it relevant and transferable to courses other than civil engineering.

Integrating Technologies for Demand Response in Blocks of Buildings - A UK Case Study

Flexibility in contemporary energy systems is predominantly delivered by fossil fuels. Low carbon energy services are required to avoid dangerous climate change, however, in the electricity sector, energy flows must be balanced instantaneously, and many renewable resources are either variable, uncertain or both. Demand Response (DR) enables consumers to play a significant role in the delivery of flexibility on the electric grid by reducing or shifting their electricity usage during periods of stress or constraint. The value of DR to blocks of buildings depends on the telemetry and control technologies in existing building management systems and the potential revenue sources. To encourage the growth of DR servicesO and reap the potential benefits, it is necessary to characterise the economic and environmental benefits of DR. The EU Horizon 2020 co-funded project ODemand Response in Blocks of BuildingsO (DR-BOB: www.dr-bob.eu) aims to do just that. This paper describes the technical approach taken by the DR-BOB project at its Teesside University site, focussing on the challenges encountered and the solutions proposed for this city centre campus. It updates previous work (Crosbie et al, 2016) that has described the broader principles and technologies being evaluated at four sites across Europe.

Assessing Energy Improvement Potential from Efficiency and Renewable Interventions at Neighborhood Level

Tools for the estimation of energy performance improvement, achievable through energy efficiency and renewable energy interventions, with decision making capabilities for policy implementation at neighborhood level are still lacking. In this paper, we present a proof-of-concept tool that integrates a decision support mechanism for enabling opinions and criteria of various decision makers to be taken into account during the implementation of energy efficiency interventions at neighborhood level. The tool is based on integrating information from aerial and terrestrial imagery, digital maps and national databases and statistics providing housing data on a GIS platform. The testing of the tool with the involvement of local authorities and social housing providers demonstrated that the tool can support policy makers in making informed decisions with regard to the implementation of energy policies and initiatives and contribute to meeting CO2 emission reduction targets.