A CASE FOR HEATING HOMELABS Prof. Anna Davies (Trinity College Dublin)

daviesa@tcd.ie

From niche to normal:

Driving energy efficiency through behavioural change

SEAI, 5th November 2015

Attempts to reconfigure consumption have improved efficiency, but there has been no absolute decoupling of economic growth and environmental degradation (UNEP, 2012)

Phase I - POP Backcasting approach: Designing Sustainable Practices: reframing debates from end-of-pipe use to the needs that using resources fulfill: ‘beyond efficiency’ - tools, rules, skills and understandings shaping practices

Phase II – HomeLabs: Technological, regulatory and informational innovations were acquired, tested and evaluated using ethnographic processes within Irish households over an intense 5 week period

SOCIETAL CHALLENGE:

CONSENSUS RESPONSE:

PROBLEM DEFINITION: HOME ENERGY CONSUMPTION

Technological

Fossil fuel dependant

Inefficient homes

Complexity in design

Socio-economic

Larger homes, fewer occupants

Affordability

Rebound effect

User

Expectations & norms

Invisibility of energy

Motivations

“How might our home heating needs be met more sustainably in 2050?”

20 Interdisciplinary stakeholders: designers, policy-makers, architects, engineers, consumer representatives, non-governmental interests, planners, suppliers, technologists

VISIONING WORKSHOPS: BRAINSTORMING

SCENARIO ELABORATION

Desirability, modification, ranking

Heat Layer

‘intriguing’ and ‘attractive’, but automation e.g. ‘spot heating’ and ‘personal heat vest’; risks of technology malfunction and the loss of practical “skills”

Community Core

concerns about privacy and loss of individualism and identity.

Carbon Control

positive overall, but unsure of technologies for control e.g. carbon quota scanner

Dominance of the ‘if’: yet-to-be-developed socio-technical innovations e.g. if it was functional, if it was equitable etc.

Green Dynamic Mainstream

CITIZEN CONSUMER WORKSHOPS

PROMISING PRACTICES

TRANSITION FRAMEWORK

WERE NEXT?

HOME HEATING HOMELABS?

PERSONAL WASHING HOMELABS Key issues: •Environmental: Water stress is likely to increase

•Governance: Metering and charges - inadequate public engagement

•Socio-cultural: Escalating water use in personal washing; low levels of conservation behaviour; disconnect between users and water supply

•Technical: Lock-in to existing infrastructure

Interventions are required to make our personal washing practices more:

1.ECOLOGICALLY CONNECTED to fluctuations in water availability

2.ADAPTIVE in response to a) water availability and b) actual cleanliness needs

3.EFFICIENT in water consumption and in meeting individual needs

HomeLabs Prototyped socio-technical interventions to promote these 3 qualities with users to evaluate their impact in promoting more sustainable personal washing practices

PERSONAL WASHING HOMELABS

HOMELABS INTERVENTIONS

Reminders to try particular products

Duck shower

Timer Shower litre meter in use

HomeLabs product line-up

HomeLabs interventions in-situ

WATER USAGE

47% DECREASE

LONGITUDINAL SURVEY … a work in progress

Baseline

(Week 1)

6

month

12

month

Changes

Av. No. of

showers p/w

8

8

7

Min. No.

showers p/w

5

(n=1)

4

(n=4)

5

(n=1)

Max. No.

showers p/w

10

(n=6)

10

(n=3)

10

(n=4)

9

4 3

2 2 1 1

0123456789

10

Takingshorter

showers

Using low-flow

showerheads

Pause andstopping

the shower

Turning offtaps

2-in-1groomingsteps e.g.leave-in

conditioner

Taking lessshowers

Using ashowertimer

Homelabs-led practice changes incorporated into daily washing routines (12 month)

4 4

2

1 1 1

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Non foamingproducts

Innovativehair and

bodyproducts

Dry cleaningproducts

Lower waterpressure

2 in 1products

Takingshorter

showers

Homelabs-led practice changes not incorporated into daily washing routines (12 months)

WASHLAB & WASHING PRACTICE TYPOLOGY

Heterogeneity in washing practices

• No one reason why people wash

• A large variance in the motivations, needs and expected results associated with different kinds of washing

6 key generic types of washing practice

• Participants’ stated key motivations for washing

People tended to practice 1 - 3 key forms of washing

• Each washing practice varies in frequency, time of day, water requirements & washing activities

Testing the typology: WashLab and the HOME\SICK exhibition: https://dublin.sciencegallery.com/homesick

WASHLAB FINDINGS (Residents in Ireland only n=1,235 58% of total sample)

9

4 3

2 2 1 1

0

2

4

6

8

10

Homelabs-led practice changes incorporated

into daily washing routines (12 month)

A CASE FOR HEATING HOMELABS? Positive findings to date from washing homelabs

– Amphiro meter trial = 22% reduction 1 mth study 60 Swiss households (Tiefenbeck et al., 2013a)

– Willis et al., (2010) = 27% reduction in water use in 151 households fitted with shower alarm 40 l

– CONSENSUS Homelabs = average reduction of 47%

Integrated interventions relating to tools, rules, skills and understandings yielded changes in washing practice

– Homelabs as testbeds for niche or prototypical interventions

– Utility of metering improved through use of the portal providing the motivation, learning, ability and support required to adjust their personal washing practices (benmarking, targets, alternative practices etc.)

– Power of disruption through homelabs encouraged ‘just trying it’

Heating homelabs could enhance nexus thinking between heating and water use

More advanced metering and user-focused design technologies in place e.g. O-power

Wide variations in practices over time as well as within and between households of different structures – no-one size fits all

Democratization of debates required – beyond technical fix & design-led interventions

Reorienting debates to focus on ‘needs’ opens up solutions-oriented discussions

WITH THANKS TO HOMELABS RESEARCH TEAM:

WASHING: Dr Ruth Doyle

EATING: Dr Laura Devaney

FOLLOW-ON SURVEYS: Jane Maher & Dr Mary Jo Lavelle

FUNDER: EPA STRIVE PROGRAMME

ALL RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS

FULL DETAILS OF CONSENSUS PROJECT: WWW.CONSENSUS.IE