Low-carbon Homes Research Articles

Just transitions and sociotechnical innovation in the social housing sector: An assemblage analysis of residents’ perspectives

Creating low-carbon pathways for domestic electricity and heating is a core aspect of the UK Government's housing strategy. Understanding issues of energy justice and the socio-technical dynamics of low-carbon innovation are vital for successfully implementing new technologies and retrofit measures across diverse communities and different housing types. The social housing sector is particularly important in the study of just domestic low-carbon transitions due to the challenges faced by residents concerning energy affordability and insecurity during the ongoing cost of living crisis in the UK. This qualitative study, conducted in the Northeast of England, adopts an assemblage thinking approach to examine the experiences of social housing residents. Through thematic analysis of interviewee responses, we identify themes related to cost and affordability; decision-making dynamics and energy justice; disruption, retrofit and ‘fabric first’; energy autonomy and the practicalities of technology choice; and environmental values and collective climate action. We find that justice in the low-carbon home requires social housing organisations to strengthen mechanisms for resident engagement and interconnectedness before retrofit roll-out, to identify independent sources and arbiters of information on upfront and long-term energy costs, to ensure effective mechanisms for the social control of energy use, and to provide a platform to encourage nascent energy citizenship through which residents link pro-environmental behaviours in the home to broader networks of social action on climate change.

Model-free dynamic management strategy for low-carbon home energy based on deep reinforcement learning accommodating stochastic environments

This paper presents a model-free dynamic optimal management strategy for a low-carbon home energy management system (HEMS) based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL). The method can ideally handle the uncertainties and dynamics of renewable energy and demand-side load. Firstly, the load model is established by a deep Q network (DQN) algorithm with the advantage of ignoring traditional forecasting steps on stochastic environments such as renewable energy generation, load demand, price, etc. Then multi-agents are established for dynamic management based on the DRL. Through “dynamic acquisition, dynamic decision” mechanism, the proposed model-free strategy achieves real-time energy management that can adaptively respond to stochastic environments. Secondly, considering the constraints of system carbon emissions and carbon trading, the proposed strategy can minimize the energy consumption cost, carbon trading cost, and user satisfaction penalties. Ultimately, the effectiveness of the proposed strategy is verified through case studies. Experimental results demonstrate that the strategy can significantly reduce the overall cost, including a 36.7% reduction in carbon trading. At the same time, user satisfaction penalties are reduced by 50.2%. Further, the agent hyperparameter could also be adjusted to capture the trade-off between cost savings and satisfaction penalties. And compared with the traditional forecast-based management strategy, it overcomes the problem of uncertainties and avoids forecasting errors to better accommodate the stochastic environment.

Transformational innovation in home energy: How developers imagine and engage with future residents of low carbon homes in the United Kingdom

Decarbonisation and climate change targets require multiscale sociotechnical energy transitions that include significant changes to housing stock. In the UK, the development of Active Buildings, which directly seek to be efficient energy producers, have zero carbon emissions and provide grid flexibility, has the potential to make a significant contribution to meeting these targets. Active Homes as a particular type of Active Building represent a potentially transformational innovation by altering how energy is produced, distributed and consumed, in addition to how homes are designed, constructed and then lived in. In this paper we draw on insights from qualitative interviews with stakeholders involved in the development of different Active Homes to consider motivations for development, and their views on how residents will reside in and interact with the homes. We highlight a potential conflict between a desire to prioritise the needs of residents with a belief amongst some that to do so, user engagement with technology should be minimised. This has implications for design decisions, which in turn influence how residents experience and live within the homes. In illuminating these narratives, we indicate the necessity of ongoing engagement with residents to understand how Active Homes – with particular emphasis on the operation and control of technologies – are experienced, in order to inform the successful rollout of current and future developments.

Man caves, granny flats and alternative living spaces: Low carbon home retrofit and implications for policymaking

This paper presents new insights into low carbon home retrofit by highlighting home improvement practices to spaces beyond the main dwelling. We use social practice theories and draw on empirical research with householders in Australia focused on practices of homemaking in man caves, garages and granny flats to trace negotiations and relations between spaces, practices and the governance of retrofit. In doing so, we understand the adaptation of what are often considered ‘outside’ or ‘uninhabitable’ spaces as alternative lived spaces, or alternative retrofit spaces. The paper argues that studying the textures, or socio-spatial-material relationships of these alternative retrofit spaces helps understand how unexpected trajectories of future energy use are established. The research problematises policy making and related interventions that treat material dwelling upgrades in binary ways, such as ‘outside/inside’ and/or ‘habitable/uninhabitable’. Retrofit governance is shown to extend across various scales such as urban planning and consumption of small appliances, across space and time, and shaped by traditional values and inclusiveness in the community. The research highlights the informal homemaking practices that mean retrofit governance traverses both formal and informal aspects. Retrofit and urban policies may need to take these aspects into account in terms of regulations and strategies, but also as they relate to larger social change interventions focused on understandings, experiences and end goals.

Understanding low-carbon housing retrofit within a wider nexus of practices

Low-carbon retrofit of owner-occupied housing will make a significant contribution to reducing UK CO2 emissions. However, despite placing the home within its social context, there remain concerns that existing practice theory studies on this topic fail to adequately conceptualise ‘large’ phenomena such as retrofit. In response to this gap, this research adopts a novel nexus-of-practice approach to understanding home improvements. Drawing on thirty-one in-depth interviews and walk-through tours with owner-occupiers in Bristol, a rigorous line-by-line coding and analysis of the relationships between components of practice is undertaken. Particular attention is given to: connections between home improvement practices and the wider nexus of practices; how these connections can increase adoption of low-carbon retrofit measures; and the implications of these for the role of the architect. The findings reveal indirect relationships between low-carbon retrofit measures and other home improvement practices. They also illustrate that professional competences associated with low-carbon retrofit measures are poorly connected to the wider nexus. These connections have implications for policy seeking to encourage higher levels of low-carbon retrofit, and contribute to architects’ ability to recognise and seize opportunities to maximise the environmental benefits of owner-occupier home improvement projects.

Homeowner low carbon retrofits: Implications for future UK policy

The promotion of low-carbon home retrofit among UK homeowners is widely recognised as an important strategy to reduce operational energy use in dwellings and mitigate climate change. The related predominant UK policy approach is to address various market failures and develop the market for low-carbon retrofit and innovation. The current low uptake rate of low-carbon home retrofit suggests that a complementary policy approach is necessary to increase it and support households in their change towards low-carbon living. This paper uses an innovation framework to analyse retrofit as an innovation-decision process of several stages. Low-carbon technology is conceptualised at three nested levels: product, design option and technological system. A multiple-case study approach is used to analyse eight home retrofit cases from the SuperHomes network, that achieved significant carbon emission reductions through retrofit activities. Case analysis shows that: (i) homeowners collect information for each technology level through different communication channels, which are not interchangeable; (ii) homeowners develop a certain capacity to transform their environmental concerns into substantial retrofit activities; (iii) the positive retrofit experience of homeowners is crucial to develop such capacity and to convince others to retrofit their homes. These findings have important implications for energy policy on retrofit uptake in UK to support household transition to low-carbon living.

Consumer engagement in low-carbon home energy in the United Kingdom: Implications for future energy system decentralization

There are competing visions for what future low-carbon energy systems might look like. However, it is likely that consumers will be more actively involved in managing their energy use. Consequently, there is likely to be some disruption to the current rhythm of everyday domestic social practices. This paper considers what we can learn from people who already take a more active role in managing their energy supply, with the aim of identifying transferable lessons that could be applied to future energy system decentralization. We compare two case studies focused on people with different levels of grid connectivity - people living off-grid on narrowboats and living in semi-grid connected houses in rural Norfolk. We find that where people had constraints on their energy use, they responded in three main ways. First, they diversified their energy supplies, including adopting traditional fuels such as coal and wood. Second, people planned, monitored and shifted their energy use, responding in ways favorable to micro-generation and demand-side response. Third, people curtailed energy use. We propose that UK households may respond in similar ways to decentralized energy. Finally we consider the implications of our findings for future energy policy aimed at decentralizing energy production and supply.

Low-carbon homes, thermal comfort and household practices: Uplifting the energy-efficiency discourse

Abstract: Reducing carbon emissions within the residential sector plays an important role in meeting carbon reduction targets. Low-carbon homes or homes with very high-energy efficiency ratings aim to decrease residential carbon emissions by reducing overall energy demand and increasing reliance on low-carbon energy sources. Numerous assessment and rating tools are available to motivate investment in low-carbon homes. However, the demand for low-carbon products and homes has been lower than anticipated. This study explored householders’ notions of home comfort and energy efficiency, as well as construction specialists’ perceptions about the market for low-carbon products and homes to investigate how such a market could be enhanced. The study collected data though four phases. Phase 1 and 2 explored householders’ views through focus groups (n=107) and a household telephone survey (n=866). Phase 3 explored construction specialists’ views through an online specialist survey (n=492) and phase 4 included an online experimental study (n=2008) to test message frames promoting low-carbon homes to potential home buyers. Overall, telephone survey participants expressed high levels of interest in energy efficient homes and homes with lower running costs. Phase 1 and 2 data also showed that the notion of home energy efficiency constructed by householders is heavily based on technological aspects, such as energy efficient appliances and/or renewable energy sources, which are closely related to the economic (i.e. saving energy costs) or environmental (i.e. reducing carbon emissions) benefits of energy efficiency. However, the same data indicated that energy efficient features such as airflow and ventilation, appropriate indoor temperatures and natural light are closely related to householders’ notion of home comfort, suggesting that the market for energy efficient homes could be enhanced by making the link between energy efficiency and home comfort more evident. This concept was tested through a message framing survey, which confirmed that messages embedded with the notion of energy efficiency in the context of home comfort were more effective in increasing the perceived benefits of low-carbon homes than standard messages that simply listed energy features. Implications of these findings for enhancing the uptake of low-carbon homes are discussed.

Creating low-carbon neighbourhoods: a critical discourse analysis

A number of contributions have analysed or supported community or neighbourhood-level activities connected with the development of sustainable or low-carbon localities. The paper reports on a recently completed project (Newcastle Low Carbon Neighbourhoods). The paper aims to deepen understanding of problems relating to the creation of low-carbon neighbourhoods, focusing on competing discourses, which tend to marginalise residents. The paper shows that there is the potential to employ critical discourse analysis to probe the inclusivity or exclusivity of social and political actors and agenda, and the story sets, texts and practices capable of binding together, or keeping apart, individuals, groups and perspectives, and to examine the normative underpinnings of people’s behaviour and interpretations. The conclusions concern what we learn from the project regarding the role of language in multi-actor research and engagement and the promotion of low-carbon homes and neighbourhoods, which may be informative for the broader challenge of city-wide urban sustainability.

House builder opinions of energy-efficient homes in the UK

Purpose – This paper aims to study house builder opinions of energy-efficient homes in the UK. The days of inconsiderate construction methods and disregard for the environment are becoming a thing of the past. If zero carbon (Zc) standards are to be implemented across all new homes within the UK, it is essential that house builders are willing and able to construct such homes to the necessary standards and to the volumes required. Although new generations of low carbon (Lc) and energy-efficient homes are beginning to break into the marketplace, house builders remain reluctant to introduce complex technologies during high effort builds. Design/methodology/approach – The findings from questionnaire responses provide an indication of the views of house builders relating to the incentives encouraging and barriers preventing them from producing mass market energy-efficient homes. Findings – This paper has uncovered the views and opinions of house builders relating to energy-efficient homes. The findings provide evidence that the house building industry is not fully engaged with the energy-efficiency concept; that house builders portray an inconsistent level of confidence in their ability to deliver energy-efficient homes; and that Government targets are too ambitious. Originality/value – The findings within this paper provide an overview of the opinions of house builders relating to energy-efficient homes using statistical analysis.

Feasibility assessment for high penetration of distributed photovoltaics based on net demand planning

Well integrated distributed photovoltaics (PVs) will help tomorrow's energy system become more sustainable. This paper highlights the net demand planning feasibility assessment to understand these dynamics. These dynamics underpins the technical feasibility when setting up high penetration of PVs within a new development area. Real measurements of disaggregated domestic electricity demand from three low-carbon homes and simulated PV output are used. A case study is based on a new building development in North West Bicester Eco Town, Oxfordshire, consisting of 393 homes, community and commercial units. Using simulation models and real domestic load measurements, the results show potential for demand management and energy storage. With a sensitivity analysis, the paper discusses also related energy policy aspects such as options for PV orientation aspects, the use of Electric Vehicles (EVs), the potential of Direct Current electrical installations and schemes that encourage load shifting. The paper concludes, within the context of the case study, assumptions and scenarios that, contrary to what is commonly believed, high penetration of PVs in a development area is feasible and may even reduce grid infrastructure costs.

Promoting low-carbon home adaptations and behavioural change in the older community

The Government has set an ambitious target to cut the UK's carbon emissions by 80% by year 2050. To meet these targets, action is needed in the residential sector with 27% of the UK's CO2 emissions coming from energy use in homes. While working towards zero-carbon new homes, refurbishment of the existing housing stock to advanced, low-carbon standards is essential. In this process the involvement of all stakeholders and behavioural change of occupants to low-carbon life styles are primary factors. This paper presents the findings of an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Public Engagement project (2009–2010) carried out to promote low-carbon home adaptations and behaviour change among the elderly. A number of engagement events were held to increase the awareness of environmental upgrading of homes, energy-efficiency measures, financial support available and low-carbon life styles. A feedback process collected information on sustainable actions taken by the attendees 3–6 months after the initial events. A coding method was designed to analyse the questionnaire responses. The results illustrated that many had made changes in their lives since attending the events, are planning to change or have encouraged someone else they know to make a change in their lives to be more sustainable.

The usability of control interfaces in low-carbon housing

For the same type of house, energy and water use can vary by up to 14 times between different households in low-carbon housing. This article assesses the usability of key human control interfaces in two contrasting case studies of low-carbon housing, using building performance evaluation and a usability matrix tool. It situates the discussion within socio-technical theories of habit, practice, capabilities and emergent properties in products which facilitate easy, rewarding and energy-efficient learning. Key findings reveal poor design features and occupant lack of understanding including specific aspects of centralised mechanical heating and ventilation systems. Lessons learnt and recommendations are highlighted for design guidance and policy consideration. These include a more user-centred approach to design and testing of products, and key areas of focus in relation to delivering low-carbon homes that are more controllable and therefore more comfortable.

The Development of Low-Carbon Economy for Realizing Urban Sustainable Development: Taking the Example of Baotou

As the urban new developing strategy and mode, low-carbon economy meets the requirements for the sustainable development in the urban area. On the basis of development analysis for the low-carbon economy home and abroad, this paper illustrates the challenges that urban area meets in the process of low-carbon economy and sustainable development by taking the example of Baotou, as well as making proposals and suggestions accordingly.

Towards low carbon homes – A simulation analysis of building-integrated air-source heat pump systems

A comparative transient simulation analysis for domestic buildings with a floor-embedded heating system coupled to a modern air source heat-pump (ASHP) has been carried out using the TRNSYS numerical modeling environment for various UK locations. The effects of heat-pump control during off-peak electricity tariff periods in conjunction with varying building fabric characteristics were analysed and the results show that for the locations investigated, running costs and CO2 emissions were lower for the ASHP platform than for a comparative gas boiler heating system. It was also found that by utilizing the thermal mass of a concrete floor slab or by integrating external insulation, acceptable comfort levels during the heating season were maintained when operating the ASHP solely during off-peak tariff periods. A thinner concrete floor slab containing phase change material (PCM) provided a slightly improved comfort level during winter and also reduced overheating during summer in buildings with a high level of insulation. Finally, when utilising a floor-embedded PCM material, it was found that the thermal properties of the PCM material must be carefully matched with case-specific building fabric thermal performance parameters in order to ensure effective internal environmental control.