Warming with wood: Exploring the everyday heating practices of rural off-gas households in Wales

Abstract

Rural off-gas households, the highest carbon emitters in the UK, have largely been overlooked in energy scholarship and policy, resulting in limited understanding of the ways in which the socio-material inequalities shape their likelihood of moving into fuel poverty. This paper sets out to fill this knowledge gap by developing a better understanding of the role that non-standard heating technologies play in the thermal comfort practices of rural off-gas households in Wales. Specifically, this paper focuses on ‘traditional’ wood or biomass heating – open fires, enclosed stoves and range-ovens – that are popular and commonplace throughout the UK, particularly in rural households, where they may be utilised for primary or supplementary heating. Findings show that traditional wood/biomass heating, as part of a rural off-grid heating-mix, enables households to respond to financial tensions in meaningful ways that are perceived to make their circumstances better. Additionally, insights highlight the importance of considering the potential conflicts between sustainability agendas that inform contemporary energy policymaking, as well as understanding the existing dynamics of rural off-gas thermal comfort for informing just low-carbon transitions.