Abstract:
People want to live a good life, what this means varies greatly between people and households, however for all it is important to have a home that is comfortable to live in. It should be warm enough, light and there should be room for mundane activities. However, this requires energy: heating, lighting and household appliances.
The Swedish Parliament?s goal is to reduce energy use in residential and commercial buildings by 20% in 2020. Research shows that there is a potential in behaviour change among residents in apartment buildings as well as in the operation and maintenance of buildings, which can lead to energy savings between 15 and 30 percent.
The project is based on a joint responsibility and involvement of researchers and housing company Stångåstaden, based in Linköping, Sweden and owner of 18,600 flats. It is a 5 year project, where so far one year of research has been completed. The energy efficiency goal of Stångåstaden is 25 % by 2025.
The aim of the research project is to reduce energy by applying existing and developing new knowledge and new approaches in cooperation with Stångåstaden. The general research approach is socio-technical and case study methodology. Both qualitative and quantitative data collections methods have been used. Tentative results show that it is possible to identify barriers to energy efficiency, both from residents? and professionals? perspectives. Conclusions are that socio-technical relationships should be developed with regard to communication, knowledge and technical system.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Wiktoria Glad is associate professor at the Department of thematic studies ? Technology and social change at Linköping University, Sweden. She is also a former post doctoral scholar at Institute for sustainable futures at University of Technology Sydney. Her current research projects include development of theory around construction and management of housing, empirical ethnographic studies of energy use and management of housing in Sweden and Sydney, and end-user requirements as drivers for quality and sustainability in Swedish housing. This research in mainly funded by the Swedish research council Formas.