TY - JOUR
T1 - Demanding expectations
T2 - exploring the experience of distributed heat generation in Europe
AU - Reid, Louise
AU - Ellsworth-Krebs, Katherine
N1 - This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Energy Research and Social Science. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Energy Research and Social Science, 72, 2022 DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2020.101821
M1 - 101821
PY - 2021/1/31
Y1 - 2021/1/31
N2 - In this study, we advance thinking around microgeneration for heat, moving debates on from issues of adoption and performance to bring richer and more sophisticated understandings of how and why households install and live with renewable energy technologies. We draw on a study with 32 households in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, presenting qualitative data collected through an online photo journal to provide insights on the subjective experience of microgeneration for heat technology. We identified a tension between the installation and operational phases of microgeneration for heat systems highlighting that routine, daily domestic practices were at least, if not more, important than the building fabric when seeking to deliver energy savings. This tension was common to both United Kingdom and Dutch households and all microgeneration for heat types, although more pronounced for those with biomass systems. We also explore how householders’ ideas of the future impact on the use of and demand for microgeneration for heat systems; with United Kingdom participants more likely to anticipate greater demand and have systems they felt were ‘over capacity’. We argue that householders’ perspectives, particularly in relation to expectations around future energy demand, are generally overlooked in renewable energy research.
AB - In this study, we advance thinking around microgeneration for heat, moving debates on from issues of adoption and performance to bring richer and more sophisticated understandings of how and why households install and live with renewable energy technologies. We draw on a study with 32 households in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, presenting qualitative data collected through an online photo journal to provide insights on the subjective experience of microgeneration for heat technology. We identified a tension between the installation and operational phases of microgeneration for heat systems highlighting that routine, daily domestic practices were at least, if not more, important than the building fabric when seeking to deliver energy savings. This tension was common to both United Kingdom and Dutch households and all microgeneration for heat types, although more pronounced for those with biomass systems. We also explore how householders’ ideas of the future impact on the use of and demand for microgeneration for heat systems; with United Kingdom participants more likely to anticipate greater demand and have systems they felt were ‘over capacity’. We argue that householders’ perspectives, particularly in relation to expectations around future energy demand, are generally overlooked in renewable energy research.
KW - microgeneration
KW - energy demand
KW - domestic practices
KW - home
KW - online journal
KW - UK
KW - Netherlands
U2 - 10.1016/j.erss.2020.101821
DO - 10.1016/j.erss.2020.101821
M3 - Article
SN - 2214-6296
VL - 71
SP - 1
EP - 10
JO - Energy Research and Social Science
JF - Energy Research and Social Science
M1 - 101821
ER -