Energy Biographies: Understanding the Dynamics of Energy Use for Energy Demand Reduction
Reference Number
ES/I007067/1
Title
Energy Biographies: Understanding the Dynamics of Energy Use for Energy Demand Reduction
Status
Completed
Energy Categories
Energy Efficiency(Residential and commercial)
Energy Efficiency(Transport)
Energy Efficiency(Transport)
Research Types
Basic and strategic applied research
Science and Technology Fields
SOCIAL SCIENCES (Sociology)
SOCIAL SCIENCES (Psychology)
SOCIAL SCIENCES (Psychology)
UKERC Cross Cutting Characterisation
Sociological economical and environmental impact of energy (Consumer attitudes and behaviour)
Principal Investigator
Prof K Henwood
Social Sciences
Cardiff University
Social Sciences
Cardiff University
Award Type
Standard
Funding Source
ESRC
Start Date
01 November 2010
End Date
30 June 2015
Duration
55 months
Total Grant Value
£699,910
Industrial Sectors
No relevance to Underpinning Sectors
Region
Wales
Programme
Other Investigator
Dr C Butler, Psychology, Cardiff University
Dr K Parkhill, Psychology, Cardiff University
Professor Pidgeon, Psychology, Cardiff University
Dr K Parkhill, Psychology, Cardiff University
Professor Pidgeon, Psychology, Cardiff University
Web Site
Objectives
The study takes an innovative biographical approach to investigating people's current energy use in terms of their own understandings of energy and particular life-course trajectories: their 'energy biographies'. An interdisciplinary research team (social psychology, geography, sociology) will work in collaboration with government and grassroots organisation partners in four different case locations: a major city a large public sector hospital two winners of a UK government local community energy demand reduction competition. Two main empirical phases of fieldwork will be conducted at each research location. Phase 1: individual interviews to access peoples' use of energy and energy practices in the different communities. Participants will revisit key moments in their life histories (eg transition to adulthood) and aspects of their everyday life (eg established routines) to prompt awareness of their personal investments in energy use. Phase 2: an extended period of more in-depth qualitative longitudinal research (supplemented by visual methods) incorporating repeat interviews after a further 5 and 10 months with a subset of participants in each case location. The aim is to produce more complex and realistic understandings of how and why individuals' energy biographies develop as they do, and the unintended and intended consequences of energy demand reduction interventions.
Abstract
Abstract not supplied
Data
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Projects
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Publications
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Added to Database
06/02/12
