1. Investigating community led
energy demand reduction
initiatives through the lens of
“energy biographies”
Prof. Karen Henwood
Dr Catherine Butler Dr Karen Parkhill
Dr Fiona Shirani Prof. Nick Pidgeon
Architecture 9 January 2013

2. Energy Biographies Research
Objectives
1. Develop understanding of energy use by investigating and
comparing people's different ‘energy biographies’ across a range
of social settings
2. Examine how existing demand reduction interventions interact
with people's personal biographies and histories.
3. Develop improved understanding of how different community
types can support reductions in energy consumption
…We are also exploring the usefulness of innovative
(narrative, longitudinal and visual) methods for researching
energy demand

3. Theoretical Background
• Social phenomena are socially co-constructed, fluid,
Practice Theory negotiated and contextual – this process is relational
(e.g. Bourdieu, Shove) • Social change and continuity as social reproduction
• Practices develop in conjunction with ‘others’
Biography and the • ‘‘Biographies are rooted in an analysis of social history
Life course and the wellsprings of individual personality, [they] reach
backward and forward in time, documenting processes
(e.g. Chamberlayne) and experiences of social change”
• Practice is contingent upon and produced within
Temporality and historical processes that also provide the conditions of
Space possibility for future continuities and changes.
• Transitional processes play out in particular places and
(e.g. Adam, Massey) through different forms of community

4. Theoretical development: Identity and Energy
Consumption
‘Consumption comprises a set of practices which permit people to express
self-identity, mark attachment to social groups, accumulate resources,
exhibit social distinction, ensure participation in social activities, and more
besides. However, these processes bear primarily on the way that
individuals select among the vast array of alternative items made available
in the form of commodities and their symbolic communicative potential….
‘…Only at best obliquely and indirectly does the purchase or use of water,
coal, gas or electricity confer self-identity, mark attachment to social
groups or exhibit social distinction.’
(Shove and Warde, 2001)

5. Identity Production in Theory and Method
Time, texture and biography
Shaping of psychosocial
in identity construction /
spaces (Masco)
Identities in the making
(Henwood)
Fateful
Risk & identity futures moments/
(Henwood and Pidgeon) turning points
(Thompson and
Culture, consumption & Holland)
identity - the extended
critiques (Wetherell)
Identity
processes in Intergenerational
Individualisation &
social change identities, cultural
self-growth - the art of
and heritage & social
living (Holstein &
consumption reproduction
Gubrium)
(Warde)

6. Life-histories, social histories: An integrative identity
studies framework within social psychology (Wetherell,
1996)
Processes under investigation
• The making of individual identity (life history) & the broad formation of
social identities (social history)
• “to consider precisely how all that made society connects with all that
made me” (p300)
Key questions
• How are people positioned as they develop?
• How do we come to be where we currently inhabit?
Accounts given/examined
• = of the particulars of a life - to explain people’s life choices to go one way
or the other

7. Wetherell’s three different arenas of study &
analytic resources
The making of a life : the weight of social
history
•Personality & social practices
Family life and subject positions
Family life and subject positions

8. Case Sites
Peterston and Ely
Caerau, Cardiff
Royal Free
Hospital,
London
Tir Y Gafel Eco-
village,
Pembrokeshire

9. Methods
• Follow up
• These involve
Phase 2a: interviews 5 AND
interviews and
Narrative 10 months with a
informal meetings
Interviews selected sample
with case site
from each case
representatives December 2011- site. Participants
and a wider range
April 2012 are being asked to
of stakeholders to
• 18-30 initial engage in a range
provide detailed
narrative of other multi
contextual
interviews in modal methods
information.
each case site (e.g. photographs)
area (n=68)
Phase 1: Scoping Phase 2b: Extended
Stakeholder Interviews Biographies &
July 2011-December Multimodal Method
2011 May 2012-February
2013

10. Phase 1: Developing Relationships
• Case Site Representatives – initial meetings
• Also full participants in longitudinal research
• Advisory Panel
• Community Volunteering
• Sustaining Relationships
(e.g. Christmas cards)
This is a community newsletter
developed by Karen Parkhill for
Futurespace

11. Phase 2: Narrative Interview
Themes
1. Community and Context
• Talk through how they came to live in their current
home/area, how they characterise their community(s)
• Connections – e.g. who they live with/is in their family
• Discussion points specific to the particular case area
2. Daily routine
• Talk through in detail to get an understanding of energy
use and practices
• Discuss how this varies for atypical times/events
e.g. Christmas, weekends
3. Life transitions
• What have been the key events/turning points that have
resulted in a lifestyle change?
• How might lifestyles and transitions differ for future
generations?

12. Phase 3: Qualitative Longitudinal
1. Initial interview – establishing energy biographies through a focus on three themes:
• Community and context
• Daily routine
• Life transitions
2. Second interview – a detailed focus on everyday energy use
• Discussion of important life changes since interview 1
• Exploring everyday energy use through participant generated photographs
• Following up emerging themes from interview 1: waste, frugality and guilt
3. Third interview – exploring futures
• Discussion of important life changes since interview 2
• Exploring everyday routines through text-prompted photographs
• Expanded talk about the future (both personal and social), facilitated through
video clips

13. Phase 3: Multi-modal Methods
1. Activity 1 – participant-generated photos
• Participants were asked to take photographs of things they felt related to energy
use in relation to four themes
• Two week period for each theme. Participants were sent texts to remind them of
the theme
• Pictures then formed the basis for discussion in interview 2
‘I found it quite useful having the groups you know the focuses I think cos otherwise I
would have yeah I think I’d have kind of tailed off’ Emmanuelle

14. Phase 3: Multi-modal Methods
2. Activity 2 – text-prompted photos
• Text messages sent to participants at 10 intervals between August-November
2012 asking them to take a picture of what they were doing at the time
• From these pictures we created photo narratives, to be discussed with
participants in interview 3

15. Phase 3: Multi-modal Methods
3. Activity 3 – video clips
• During interview 3 participants are shown clips from a 1950s and 2010s version
of what a home of the future might look like
• The clips facilitate talk about the future, which can otherwise be difficult to
discuss

16. Analytic Approaches
• Coding and thematic analysis
• Case biographies
• Qualitative Longitudinal
• Multi-modal

17. Coding

18. Insights from Coding
(Dis)Connected Futures?
Caroline: My little one [great grandchild]… she’s quite good even with recycling she knows
exactly which bin you know from an early age watch me doing the black bin and the green
bin and she’ll say to me “which bin nanny green or black”? Which is great, if the kids start
doing it you know so its just educating them … I think it’s just instead of nagging them just
sort of gently remind them about their future more than the money.
Interviewer: Is that what you say to your children and grandchildren about what they should do?
Caroline: Yeah I usually say it’s not about the money, which it is as well but like I said it’s more
important that you’ve got a future for your kids.
Interviewer: What’s their response to that?
Caroline: Quite good actually yeah because … he absolutely adores his daughter so anything that
would jeopardise her future I think he listens to.

19. Insights from Coding
Community – Presences and Absences
Lammas Futurespace
Lammas aims to establish a thriving Futurespace Ely and Caerau is a group set
example of low-impact development, up by a core group of enthusiastic
providing an educational resource pointing volunteers who are passionate about
the way for truly sustainable rural bringing communities together and
developments of the future. The project promoting sustainable living; we are
has been designed to run on permaculture supported by the local Communities First
principles. The land will be developed to team who are helping us to carry our
improve the synergy of the different vision forward. Futurespace aims to
habitats across the site, simultaneously generate a sustainable future in Wales by
enhancing bio-diversity and leading to an working with communities in Ely and
increased but sustainable yield from the Caerau. There are two key goals - to reduce
land. Where there is currently degraded the use of natural resources and to address
agricultural pasture, Lammas plans to the issue of fuel poverty in the local area.
create a landscape of vitality and
abundance.

20. Insights from Coding
Community – External Group Identity Work
“Alright Futurespace would obviously get the tariffs but then if you’re
in business you want to make money don’t you”
“Mind a lot of people were a bit taken aback with it because there’s
an old saying: you don’t get anything for nothing and because it was
free…it was hard to convince them that…it was ok; people get a bit
suspicious about things for nothing and that was quite sort of eye
opening”

21. Insights from Coding:
External group identity work at Lammas

22. Case Biographies

23. Insights from Case Biographies - Mary
Understanding Travel Practices
“We had previously lived in the Midlands…and had decided that
we were both ready to job move and Roger was head-hunted…
Well we needed to be close enough to Roger’s place of work and I
got a job…”
“…I would have liked to have lived in the City… I had never lived in a
city, so I was quite keen to try… but Roger very much didn't want to
live in the City and he was right… we made some good friends here
and I'm quite involved in some of the activities, it was a good
decision.”
Mary – Peterston, Cardiff

24. Insights from Case Biographies - Mary
Following the Narrative
“That is my one, yeah, if you asked me what was the one thing where my
preference to be environmentally friendly goes out of the window then it
is travel for a number of reasons. My Mum-in-Law is ninety and lives in
Essex. My Mum is eighty three and lives in Durham and both of them need
regular visits so I do do a lot of miles and my horse is not close, so I also
do a fair amount of miles more frequently to him”
“Roger died in 2005 and I stopped work two years ago now… because
we've got lots of friends here and because it was the house that we sort
of created together I suppose, I would find it difficult to move…. But
eventually… the house is big and the garden is big… My brother and his
wife live in the US, so it's great when they come over…”
Mary – Peterston, Cardiff

25. Insights from Case Biographies
The Long View on Change to Travel Practices

26. Qualitative Longitudinal
and Multi-Modal

27. Insights from Qualitative
Longitudinal
“And recently the job situation, that’s changed that dramatically, of me being here
all the time, you know, obviously looking for work … I’m finding that I’m in the
house a lot more because I can do it all at a touch of a button … And I am quite
wary about having things on whilst I’m here, I’m using too much energy whilst
I’m here, because it’s only going to have a knock on effect because I wouldn’t be
doing that if I was at work. I wouldn’t be watching the telly if I was at work, I
wouldn’t have the heating on if I was there. And at a time where I need things to
be going down, it’s going to, you know, it’s going to rocket.” (Lauren, interview 1)
“Yeah I mean obviously the main thing is not being here all day so there’s 8/10
hours out of the day that I’m not even in the house so I don’t tend to use the
energy, and then obviously when I come home its cooking, watching the telly or
going on the laptop and then pretty much going to bed so I don’t really use it a lot
… so yeah it’s obviously a huge difference not being in the house for eight hours
and not having to use that time to look for jobs and things like that as well you
know, going on the internet and things so yeah.” (Lauren, interview 2)

28. Insights from Qualitative
Longitudinal
Understanding Temporalities and Action
‘I will usually travel in once or twice a week by bus, once or twice a week
by bike and the rest of the day is by car, depending on what my work
commitments are. If I don’t need the car I try to avoid using it.’ (Jeremy,
Interview 1)
‘No I don’t think it has except perhaps made me feel guilty about car use,
that’s been a function of the [volunteer activity] stuff as well because
normally I probably travelled in half the week by bike or public transport
and used the car when I needed to go somewhere now I have more
meetings that are at half past 5, 6 o’clock in [another town] so there are
more days when I need to rush out of work and jump in the car and go
there.’ (Jeremy, interview 2)

29. Insights from Qualitative
Longitudinal Multi-Modal
Lammas, 2nd
Interview – photo-
elicitation

30. Conclusions
• Energy Biographies as a lens that can help us to:
– Better understand the “lived” nature of energy
system transitions
– Generate insights into how energy demand is
formulated and how ‘interventions’ – both new
and already existing – effect practice
– Better understand “community” and its
significance for energy demand reduction
– Create a bridge between policies of demand
reduction and the realities of everyday life

31. For more information please visit our website at:
www.energybiographies.org