Research project CP/52 (Research action CP)
Context
In order to meet their Kyoto commitments, countries of the Northern hemisphere have to limit their atmospheric emissions as a result of energy consumption. This proposal focuses on residential energy consumption, excluding transportation.
Project description
This socio-technical study on Belgian households aims at a better understanding of their energy-related practices. Indeed household energy consumption does depend on two types of factors that are closely interconnected: housing’s technical characteristics (area, insulation factor, central heating boiler’s characteristics, electrical appliances etc.) and household-members socio-economic characteristics (family size, income group, environmental representations, etc.)
Objectives
The objective of this project is a better understanding of the energy-related practices of the households and therefore enhanced support to decision-making in the field of energy policies. The objective will be pursued by a socio-technical study on Belgian households, carried out by a multidisciplinary team in which engineers (Partner 2: G. Vekemans, from Vito) collaborate with sociologists and demographers (Coordinator, F. Bartiaux, from DEMO), with the support of a Danish Partner (K. Gram-Hanssen, socio-engineer). This study thus aims at offering an empirically based sociological contribution for a reappraisal of the socio-technical factors explaining effective changes and reluctance to change in domestic energy consumption.
The results will be translated into recommendations toward public-awareness campaigns initiators and energy advisors. The objective is to integrate the non-technical knowledge with an existing technological part in a more complete and effective training for energy advisors.
Methodology
The socio-technical study is composed of three data-collection procedures:
• The large-scaled socio-demographic survey (n=1000) focuses on energy consumption, practices, representations and knowledge.
• The persons interested in an energy assessment will have the possibility to participate in one of the three « energy tests » that compose the technological study and which are explained below.
o The complete energy assessment (n=40 / 1 year) consists of a collection of dwelling characteristics and of a proposal of specific recommendations to energy-saving. The consumption is measured by appropriate monitoring devices.
o The quick energy scan (n=10) consists of a basic tool in order to gather the most relevant data, which allow to classify the consumption of one family in comparison with the average consumption of similar families.
o The energy diary (n=20 / 2 weeks) consists of a daily questionnaire of energy-related behaviour.
• Interviews (n=20) will be carried out in Belgium among the « energy testers » and among energy users who are not interested in energy savings. Concerning the second category, similar interviews will be carried out in Denmark (n=10). Those interviews give the opportunity to deepen the observations gathered by the socio-demographic and technological surveys.
The interaction between the collection of social and technical data is one of the linchpins of the methodology developed for this research.
Link with international programmes
The advice procedure on the subject of energy follows results obtained by the European comparative study relating to the energy labelling of dwellings (SAVE Belas project)
Expected results and/or products
The survey aims at an inventory of households’ energy consumption and at an assessment of measure- and energy saving advice methods.
At the end of the survey, the partners will write a report and scientific publications. They will also undertake the disclosure and the increase in value of the results.
Partners
Contact Information
Co-ordinator
Françoise Bartiaux
Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL)
Institut de Démographie (DEMO)
Place de l'Université 1
B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
Tel: +32 (0)10 47 29 59
Fax: +32 (0)10 47 29 52
bartiaux@demo.ucl.ac.be
http://www.demo.ucl.ac.be
Partners
Guy Vekemans
Vlaamse Instelling voor Technologisch Onderzoek (VITO)
Boeretang 200
B-2400 Mol
Tel: +32 (0)14 33 58 40
Fax: +32 (0)14 32 11 85
guy.vekemans@vito.be
http://www.vito.be
Users Committee
Francis Bossier, Federal Planning Bureau
Véronique Renard, National Institute for Statistics
Dirk Van Orshoven, Belgian Building Research Institute
Hadelin de Beer de Laer, Federal Public Planning Service “Sustainable Development”
Christian Ferdinand, Federal Public Planning Service “Economy, SMEs, Self-employed, and Energy”
Chorok Chichah, CREG (Commission for Electricity and Gas Regulation)
Ann Collys, Flemish Region Administration of Energy
Hugues Nollevaux, Walloon Region Administration of Energy
Joke Dockx, Brussels Institute for Management of the Environment
Dirk Knapen, The Flemisch Federation of the Environmental Movement
Benjamin Dessus, Global Chance
Grégoire Wallenborn, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) – Institut de gestion de l'Environnement et de l'Aménagement du territoire (IGEAT)
Catherine Rousseau, Centre de Recherche et d'Information des Organisations de Consommateurs (CRIOC)
Karine Thollier, Institut de Conseil et d'Etudes en Développement Durable (ICEDD)
Socio-technical factors influencing residential energy consumption (SEREC) : final report
Bartiaux, Françoise - Vekemans, Guy - Gram-Hanssen, Kristen ... et al Brussels : Belgian Science Policy, 2006 (SP1577)
[To download]
[To order]
La consommation d’énergie dans le secteur résidentiel : facteurs socio-techniques (SEREC) : résumé
Bruxelles : Politique Scientifique fédérale, 2009 (SP1963)
[To download]
