Jenny Palm
Dept. Of Thematic Studies – Technology and social change, Linköping University, Sweden
Ladda ner artikel
Ingår i: Proceedings of the Sustaining Everyday Life Conference
Linköping Electronic Conference Proceedings 38:17, s. 91-101
Publicerad: 2010-11-05
ISBN:
ISSN: 1650-3686 (tryckt), 1650-3740 (online)
This paper discusses local opportunities for improving energy efficiency that arise in households’ everyday practices and in relation to energy guidance. I discuss municipal energy consultants and information targeted households in relation to “local opportunities”. That is; situations where householders have a wide influence on the energy consumption: how to make investments; routines and behaviour more energy efficient and at the same time where energy consultants has the possibility to reach households and discuss how to make their routines and behaviour more energy efficient. The central question is: what are the local opportunities for energy consultants to reach households and contribute to increased energy efficiency in households? In the analysis I use the results from interviews with municipal energy consultants and householders done in five case studies.The analysis shows that the households are aware of behavioural issues and how to behave in an energy-efficient way. Information campaigns about switching off the lights; washing with a full machine; etc.; have reached the households. They could repeat such advice; though that did not indicate that they had implemented it.While homeowners looked for specific information; the tenants and tenant/owners did not ask for any information at all. Disseminating information on energy efficiency to tenants and tenant/owners is one opportunity for the consultants to increase these groups awareness of their local opportunities for energy efficiency. General energy efficiency advice was often so general that households had difficulties relating to it. Conducting individual inspections and keeping individual statistics regarding family energy use was often mentioned as an attractive measure. It was when information was combined; for example; with the installation of a meter that measured the reduction in energy use; that households realized the practical implications of; for example; advice to turn off the lights systematically. The combination of advice and direct feedback from a meter exemplifies how an often missed local opportunity can be turned into a seized opportunity.
Bemelmans-Videc; M-L; Rist; R. and Vedung; E. (Eds); (1998) Carrots; Sticks; and Sermons: Policy Instruments and Their Evaluation. New Brunswick: N.J.:Transaction Publishers.
EU directive 2006/32/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on energy end-use efficiency and energy services.
Kingdon; J. W. (1984) Agendas; alternatives; and public policies. Boston; MA: Little Brown.
Palm; J; (2004) Makten över energin: policyprocesser i två kommuner 1977–2001. Linköping Studies in Arts and Science no 289; Linköping University.
Palm; J; (2006) Development of Sustainable Energy Systems in Swedish Municipalities: A Matter of Path Dependency and Power Relations. Local Environment; 11: 445–457.
Palm; J (2009) Public interest in the private sphere: how far into the home can local policy making reach? In eceee 2009 Summer Study. Act! Innovate! Deliver!Reducing energy demand sustainably. Conference proceedings; 287-297.
SCB (Statistics Sweden) (2006) Ekologiska livsmedel - ett strategiunderlag för livsmedels-branschen; Report 2006:13. Stockholm: SCB.
SEA (Swedish Energy Agency) (1999) Uppföljning av stödet för kommunal energi-rådgivning; Report ER 3:1999; Eskilstuna: SEA.
SEA (Swedish Energy Agency) (2007) Effektivare energianvändning. Beräkning av uppnådda effekter mellan åren 1991 till 2005 och förväntade effekter av nyligen beslutade styrmedel för en effektivare energianvändning fram till år 2016; Report ER 2007:21. Eskilstuna: SEA.
SEA (Swedish Energy Agency) (2008) Allmänheten och den kommunala energirådgivningen 2007; Report ER 2008:11; Eskilstuna: SEA.
SOU 2008:25 (Swedish Government Official Reports) Ett energieffektivare Sverige. Delbetänkande av Energieffektiviseringsutredningen. Stockholm: Fritze.
Svane; Ö. (2008) Situations of opportunity: Hammarby Sjöstad and Stockholm City’s process of environmental management. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management 15(2): 76–88.
Swedish Government Decree 1997:1322 om bidrag till kommunal energi- och klimat-rådgivning.
Söderberg; P. (2008) Hållbara hushåll: Miljöpolitik och ekologisk hållbarhet i vardagen. Report 5899. Stockholm: Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.
