Making sense of energy management practice: reflections on providing low carbon support to three SMEs in the UK

Abstract

Energy consumption by small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs) is collectively significant, and whilst opportunities for substantial, cost-effective efficiency savings exist, take up is low. Whereas research tackling this challenge typically focuses on barriers and drivers to action, this paper offers an alternative perspective, investigating energy management as a practice. Drawing on practice theory and the concept of organisational sensemaking, narrative accounts provide in-depth insights into energy management practice within three SMEs. Auto-ethnographic reflections from 5 years of providing energy and environmental advice are supplemented by findings from carbon footprint assessments and interviews. Findings show that despite energy management being perceived as a peripheral business activity, it is intertwined with organisational identity and knowledge production in each of the three SMEs. Business advisors are instrumental in steering SME energy management practices and have a responsibility to reflect on how they influence processes of knowledge production and meaning-making in organisations. Implications for policy-makers, advisors and the research community are discussed.

Fostering investment in resource efficiency actions: the case of European SMEs

“…In addition, financial support and fiscal incentives (Hoogendoorn et al 2015), regulation (Ren et al 2018) and knowledge from external groups of pressures (Williamson and Lynch-Wood 2001) have been pointed out as main external driving forces enhancing resource efficiency. On the other hand, ineffective knowledge and information communication, lack of expertise and financial resources are highlighted as main barriers for resource efficiency (Côté et al 2006;Hochman and Timilsina 2017;Hampton 2019;Palm and Backman 2020).…”

Energy efficiency in SMEs: overcoming the communication barrier

“…The dominant policy means discussed for supporting energy efficiency are energy audits, energy-audit programmes, and in-house energy management. Here, we will discuss ineffective communication as an important barrier to improving energy efficiency in SMEs and how to make functional communication an enabler of future SME energyefficiency programmes (compare Hampton 2019). In this article, communication refers to the imparting or exchange of information or knowledge concerning energy efficiency, and the EU Commission's definition of an SME is used, i.e.…”

“…Common policy recommendations to overcome these barriers are (1) energy-efficiency programmes, including identification of opportunities for technology improvement, generally through energy audits or other technical assistance and (2) direct financing or other facilitation of identified opportunities (Thollander et al 2010). However, not only is lack of information and knowledge a barrier but also how this information is communicated (Hampton 2019), a matter that will be studied here. We will discuss two programmes targeting SMEs in Sweden, analysing them in relation to how information and knowledge are communicated within these programmes.…”

Governing energy in organisations: Energy management professionals, marginalised practices, and the limits to change

“…However, within mainstream organisational studies there remains an emphasis on top‐down models of change, within which various “levers” may be deployed (Anyieni et al, 2016) such as leadership techniques, communication initiatives, training, planning, and incentive systems (Aladwani, 2001). There remains a dominant language of “drivers and barriers” that risks a reductionist view of change (Hampton, 2019), alongside a persistent view of resistance (e.g., from employees or customers) as something to be overcome through information and awareness campaigns, echoing the “ABC” (attitude‐behaviour‐choice) models that have been critiqued in other fields concerned with action and social change (Shove, 2010).…”

“…As developed further in section 2.3, our theoretical framework is grounded in a practice‐theoretical understanding of organisations and organisational change. Speaking directly to the agenda laid out by Lutzenhiser (2014), and also developed in the work of Hargreaves (2011), Powells et al (2015) and Hampton (2019), our aim is to contribute to knowledge on the mundane practices through which organisational change in relation to energy and sustainability is enacted and, more importantly here, resisted or impeded. This informs our decision to centre the practices of professionals involved in the everyday doing of energy management, rather than to focus on “strategic” or top‐down organisational management as the locus of change.…”