Pelenur, M (2014) Retrofitting the domestic built environment: Investigating household perspectives towards energy efficiency technologies and behaviour. PhD thesis, University of Cambridge, UK.
Abstract
Retrofitting the UK domestic built environment presents an excellent opportunity to improve its energy performance. However, retrofitting homes is a complex challenge conflated by multiple factors. Due to this complexity, a shortfall exists between the full potential and realised adoption of energy efficiency measures in the UK, a phenomenon termed the ‘Energy Efficiency Gap’. While a number of technical or economic factors may help explain this gap, difficult to quantify factors, such as social motivations, barriers, and viewpoints towards energy are also significant and often under-emphasised in public policy. As such, in order to improve the understanding of the Energy Efficiency Gap and the uptake of future retrofit initiatives, this research adopted a socio-technical approach that considered social and technical retrofit factors together. Specifically, this research collected data from interviews, questionnaires, and a Q Study in the cities of Manchester and Cardiff, alongside a questionnaire that measured energy efficiency technology and behaviour preferences. An original contribution to knowledge was using the data to empirically identify motivations and barriers to adopting energy efficient technologies, as well as identifying household viewpoints towards energy use and linking them to retrofit technology and energy efficiency behaviour preferences. As a result of this research, specific policy recommendations are presented to help promote energy efficiency retrofits in the UK.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | built environment; complexity; efficiency; motivation; homes; policy; public policy; retrofit; UK; energy efficiency; energy performance; energy use; interview |
| Index terms: | energy performance, economic factor, energy use, household, built environment, energy efficiency, efficiency, socio-technical, preference, public policy, retrofitting, complexity, energy efficiency measure, energy efficiency gap, questionnaire, motivation, interview |
| Subjects: | demography, decision-making and reasoning, research methods, economic concepts, psychology, public policy, infrastructure and transport systems, systems engineering, renovation and retrofit, performance management, sustainability and energy, energy systems, data collection methods |
| Topics: | Quality Management, Sustainability, Engineering Principles, Human Resources, Urban Studies, Governance, Research Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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