3317 - MAINSTREAMING LOW
CARBON CONSUMPTION :
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
DAILY INNOVATIONS, SOCIAL PRACTICES
AND SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION (SOME INSIGHTS FROM REAL LIFE)
SYLVIE DOUZOU
EDF Research & Development,
Clamart, France
DEMAND Centre, Lancaster, UK
Steering Energy and Low-carbon Consumption Dominant technical-economic scenarios and underpinning assumptions
Buildings, Energy/digital
technologies and grids become
very smart (and complex)
AND aware /educated/conscious
people become more and more
virtuous
Appliances become more
and more eco-efficient
© EDF-R&D, 2010
WHY AND HOW TO MOVE BEYOND THE ‘BALLISTIC METAPHOR’
TO MAKE POLICY AND REGULATION TOOLS MORE IMPACTFUL? CFCC - 9th July 2015
National vs local
infrastructures
and singularities
Economic and
social constraints
and resources
Relation to
‘modernity’ and
material Culture
Influence of multiple
sectoral Policies on
practices influencing
energy consumption
Social Norm of
Comfort and
representations
of Modernity
CFCC - 9th July 2015
EFFICIENT ENERGY POLICY THROUGH THE LENS OF MULTIPLE
RECEPTION, APPROPRIATION, INCORPORATION PROCESSES
AND RELATED DYNAMICS *
* Draw on convergent findings from recent empirical work carried out at EDF-R&D (and
beyond!) despite highly contrasted approaches, rationales, aims and contexts
PREDOMINANCE OF consumers-citizens models and projects of life
BEYOND HOMO ECONOMICUS AND HOMO ECOLOGICUS
CFCC , Paris, 9th July 2015
More Energy Efficiency alone is not enough to achieve sustainable consumption
The diffusion energy efficient technologies doesn't necessary mean less consumption
Material culture, artefacts and social practices remain deeply interwined
“modern” ways of life and associated Societal transformations encourage (and are supported by) the multiplication and intensive use of ICT
“Those (TV) in the living room, bedrooms and the
kitchen, even though I do not necessarily watch them,
I need to see movement, there must be the pictures at
home ...so I do not feel alone. Or there is the radio
on”. - "We are surrounded by TVs, many things,
computers ... phew! Lots of things we use, and that I
am happy to use"
Labels? Yes we check. We waited for sales to buy a
new fridge. We bought a A++, it was a good deal, you
know, a super-modern, big cone with two doors , a lot
of storage capacity , making ice and all that stuff”
“Yes, each one has a computer (we don’t want war!)
ansd a mobile phone … hum… that means /she
counts / 4 mobiles, 4 computers plus a box … also two
Tvs, one in the living room and one in our bedroom..
Also a small one in the kitchen …
CFCC , Paris, 9th July 2015
Being creative, exploring
beyond conventional information tools
‘Being aware of’… doesn't mechanically mean
changing consumption patterns and ways of
life
Increased defiance towards “formal” experts
and “official” players
Rejection of moral (moralistic?) discourses
about energy sufficiency
(in French:‘sobriété énergétique’)
Better incorporating inherited ‘good practices’
based on traditional local and traditional
knowledge
Boosting social learning, experience-based
initiatives , Civil Society/multi-players initiatives
I am talking about the Grenelle of the Environment
Forum, with our super-duper Prime Minister who
gave us demonstrations, with our President who
went to the super-duper summit in Copenhagen -
and we saw the result of that, and we saw Mr
Hulot on TF1 (TV Channel) giving demonstrations
and trying to influence us. In fact, what I'm trying
to say is that I’m not trying to disassemble ecology
as such; I am criticising the fact that it is
instrumentalised. That’s the point which bothers
me most".
"When it is very hot in the afternoon, it’s a
village habit to close the house, like our
grandparents used to”.
"I do not understand the "other" category
which amounts to 304 Euros, while the heat
rises to 301 Euros. What can it be "other"?”
"Even though I consumed too much, what
do I do? I go back to the Stone Age. Hey! «
(better) Bridging segmented/sectoral Policies and Research fields
CFCC , Paris, 9th July 2015
Mainstreaming low-carbon
consumption is not a single ‘end-of-
the pipe’ process
- Agency is distributed among
heterogonous and broad constellations of
players
- Systemic Techno scripting impact
Consumption refers to multiples
areas of daily life…what about
embedded energy?
- Systemic logic of practices and non-
energy policy impacting low-carbon
consumption
":“With standard products, you are obliged to go through
what is offered. (...) Consumers do what they can, they
are forced to buy things as they come! It is the
distributor! This is just one example, but for many years,
at Carrefour, when you purchased salted meat, it was
vacuum-packed and that was that! Now they put it in a
polystyrene tray with plastic wrapping all around! Well,
the polystyrene tray, I do not need it. But when it’s
wrapping paper, it goes into the fireplace! It’s recycled!
All that is peel string etc. It's going to garden (for
compost)!”
(...) "For meat, I prefer to go directly to the producer, same
thing for vegetables. (...) I use a producer who is 20 km away
and he sells beef; for lamb it is just a little further but he’s one
of my wife’s colleagues; for pork I can get it there, 15km, so
that’s that. (...) Even beef, I buy packages of 10-15 kg, and
the same goes for lamb! So yes, we have a big freezer
downstairs; it's true that I did not tell you that! And for fish it’s
the same, my in-laws live at the seaside, so let's say that
twice a year, we stock up twice a year and freeze it”
“Well, you can’t switch off the box because it would mean
up-loading things everyday!
CFCC , Paris, 9th July 2015
Thinking beyond the Homo economicus and
Homo ecologicus
Prevalence of People’s models and
projects of life
Thinking beyond
conventional
information campaigns
Awareness doesn't
mean mechanically
changing behaviours
and practices
Thinking beyond techno-driven innovations
More efficiency doesn't necessary mean less
consumption
SCALING UP MORE SUSTAINABLE AND LOW-CARBON MODES OF CONSUMPTION
Towards a more comprehensive frame of action?
Thinking beyond (over)
segmented / sectoral
Policies and Research
fields
Agency is distributed among
an heterogeous and broad
constellations of actors
Consumption refers to
multiples social areas and
transformations