Exploring emotions and norms around Swiss household energy usage: When methods inform understandings of the social

Sahakian, Marlyne; Bertho, Béatrice

doi:10.1016/j.erss.2018.06.017

Cited by 50 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Sleeping at lower temperatures is generally seen as fine, for health and for better sleep, in adult and children’s bedrooms. This confirms findings in another study on household energy usage in Switzerland, where health was seen as an important register for understanding reduced energy usage (Sahakian and Bertho, 2018). But for some parents, a lower temperature setting was also a source of stress and concern: Is my child warm enough?…”

Section: Empirical Findingssupporting

confidence: 89%

Making “Sustainable Consumption” Matter: The Indoor Microclimate as Contested Cultural Artifact

2020

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This article demonstrates how a cultural reading of consumption that focuses on the meaning and materiality of domestic indoor microclimates can contribute to conceptual developments in the field of practice theory that refocus attention on cultural patterns, including prevailing norms and prescriptions regarding indoor temperature and thermal comfort. Drawing on evidence collected during a research-led change initiative that encouraged people to reduce energy use in the home by lowering indoor temperature to 18°C, we deploy the heuristic device of “indoor microclimate as artifact” to show how the manifestation of this new artifact initiated significant changes in everyday practices that revolve around heating. We observe that these changes may also spill over into the public sphere – from home to workplace. By making the microclimate a tangible and visible thing, we describe how people appropriate and appreciate this new object of consumption, what it says about different bodies in diverse and bounded spaces, and what the artifact as a commodity reveals about broader systems of heating and energy provision, and associated actors. Due to the increasing spread of central heating and the growing importance of complex technological devices to monitor and control indoor temperature, heating is no longer a practice in and of itself for many urban dwellers in Europe. However, when people appropriate the indoor microclimate, new heating-related practices emerge that can lead to energy sufficiency. We thus argue that by deliberately “materializing” domestic indoor microclimate as part of a change initiative, more sustainable forms of energy use can be made to matter.

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Section: Empirical Findingssupporting

confidence: 89%

Making “Sustainable Consumption” Matter: The Indoor Microclimate as Contested Cultural Artifact

2020

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“…According to the moral and educational concept as a part of institutionalism, the energy consumption of households is related to such institutions as customs and traditions, a careful attitude to energy -heat resources. Thus, researchers Marlyne Sahakian and Béatrice Bertho have identified the effect of household emotions on both reducing and improving energy use [6].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factor analysis of energy saving in households

2020

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The paper discusses such issues as the role and importance of studying energy-saving behavior of households in the national economy and society, the need for new methodological approaches to their study, neoclassical, institutional, technological approaches to the study of the behavior of households in the energy sector. Also the basics of construction of multi-parameter mathematical models of household behavior are proposed..

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“…During interviews and focus groups, we turned to photo-elicitation to uncover ideas and emotions in relation to food prescriptions and practices that could have otherwise remained untold (Lachal et al 2012;Sahakian and Bertho 2018). The visual tools used to discuss meat consumption involved images of the nose-to-tail movement, of an insect burger, as well as a school setting where participants were asked to react to a scenario where schoolchildren would be provided with only meat-free meals.…”

Section: Methodological Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting ‘pro’, ‘low’, and ‘no’ meat consumption in Switzerland: The role of emotions in practices

2020

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This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

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Exploring emotions and norms around Swiss household energy usage: When methods inform understandings of the social

Cited by 50 publications

References 11 publications

Making “Sustainable Consumption” Matter: The Indoor Microclimate as Contested Cultural Artifact

Making “Sustainable Consumption” Matter: The Indoor Microclimate as Contested Cultural Artifact

Factor analysis of energy saving in households

Promoting ‘pro’, ‘low’, and ‘no’ meat consumption in Switzerland: The role of emotions in practices

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