Gram-Hanssen, K (2010) Residential heat comfort practices: Understanding users. Building Research & Information, 38(2), pp. 175-186. ISSN 0961-3218
Abstract
The user-centred approach to heat consumption in housing is a highly relevant, but often neglected, aspect of residential energy consumption. The practice-theory approach is presented as a development within the socio-technical approach. A detailed analysis of empirical evidence from different households living in similar buildings in a suburb of Copenhagen, Denmark, shows significant variation in energy consumption due to different usage patterns of both the house and its heating system. An analysis using practice-theory finds that technologies, embodied habits, knowledge, and meanings are the main components in the understanding of both what holds this practice together as a collectively shared practice and the different socio-material configurations of each of the individual households.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | control systems; domestic heating; energy demand; habits; indoor environment; inhabitant behaviour; social convention; thermal comfort |
| Index terms: | evidence, socio-technical, consumption, housing, variation, thermal comfort, inhabitant behaviour, configuration, habit, Denmark, indoor environment, heating system, household, energy demand, control system, meaning, residential energy, domestic heating, energy consumption, comfort |
| Subjects: | sociology, occupational health and safety management, consumer economics, health behaviours and lifestyles, systems engineering, mechanical systems, environmental science, evaluation and assessment methods, energy systems, demography, research methods, environmental engineering, construction type, contractual condition, Geography, monitoring and control |
| Topics: | Construction Technology, Engineering Principles, Sustainability, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Stakeholder Management, Geographical Context, Urban Studies, Contract Administration, Health and Safety |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here