Boosting daily innovations in the field of

energy and energy efficiency?

For a comprehensive understanding/use
of the notion of Societal acceptability

Sylvie Douzou
Energy Efficiency & Behaviour Conference
Helsinki 2012, September 20-21

Aim and overview of the presentation

The notion of Societal Acceptability (SA)
A multiplication of contexts of uses and meanings

A double-edged notion?
A translation notion which allow dialogue between different worlds
VS
Risk of over simplification and confusion
1- Scenarios, EE related policies and Societal Acceptability
2- Main critics addresed to traditional approaches
3- Relevance of understanding Societal Acceptability (SA) :
As a dynamic, multi-scales and multi-players process
Deeply anchored in a particular historical, social and evolving context.
Which gains to incorporate complementary bodies of research
daily innovations related to Energy Efficiency in the domestic sphere
BEHAVE 2012 - Helsinki 20/09/2012

Buildings, Energy Consumption and People

Building sector in Europe
40% of final consumption

Source: WBCSD

Main potential
savings

Ambitious targets
An array of policies and
regulations

Energy Technologies and their related POTENTIAL:

Cornerstones of scenarios and visions of Future Energy Demand

Appliances become very

eco-efficient
Buildings and grids become very
smart (and complex)
And people are more and more
virtuous

EDF-R&D, 2010
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and implicit assumptions

key-questions according to these views

How to get home energy efficient technologies?
How to speed up their widespread among general public?
How to loosen up the barriers to technology penetration?
(wilhite 2008)

How to accelerate the adoption of EE innovations?

How to boost new markets?
How to make these innovations acceptable for people,
end-users?

A renewed enthousiasm towards the notion

of Social (or Societal) Acceptability of energy-related
innovations in everyday life
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The notion of Social Acceptability (SA) in questions

Main critics of traditional approaches *

SA conceptualised as an answer to
People and social context = what comes after, an answer to a given innovation

Societal Acceptability often reduced to end-users

Assimilation to Public Acceptance Studies aiming to capture public views
Mostly empirical studies based on quantitative research and usually
descriptive research data
Provide one-off snapshots or picture of public views
Over-segmentation of the studies and targeted views: a specific group and a
specific innovation
Lack of comprehensive and systemic view of the phenomena
Few/not enough informed by theoretical framework (s) in Social Sciences
Lack of understanding of underlying causes and social mechanisms explaining
SA as a whole process
* For critical literature reviews see for instance: EP Create Acceptance, Devine-Wright, Nada , Wilhite, Shove &Guy
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Societal Acceptability (SA) as a dialectical process

Home Energy technologies are hybrid and co-shaped devices

Conception/design solutions include some framing views

(Cf. Akrich, 1987, 1989, 1992, - STS body of research for instance)

Social norm in a given historical context structures largely choices and energy
demand, what is socially acceptable and admirable
(cf.Shove 2003, 2012,, Wilhite 2008, Winter for instance)

Innovation, diffusion and adoption of Home Energy Technologies are part

of a single & intertwined process

Acceptability is not an end-of-the pipe matter

Innovations are transformed by a constellation of actors with their own logics and
interests
(cf. Guy & Shove, 2000 , Zelem 2010, Heiskanen , Guy et ali. , Smith et ali, Eyre and ali ongoing researchs instance)

Capture and integrate contradictory actorsviews as much as possible

in this space of invention in earlier stages and on-going dynamics
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Societal Acceptability (SA) as a multi scale process of

observation and action
Agency is distributed among an heterogeous and broad
constellations of actors (wilhite 2008)
For instance*:
- Professional networks (architects, electricians, installers )
- Social networks (increasing defiance)
- Grassroots innovations

Societal acceptability of Energy innovations and related conditions

refere to precise and evolving contexts
Example: French Society observed mutations (Boy & Brugidou 2008)
A multi-level Governance
A strong territorial footprint within evolving spaces
A transformation of modes of engagement
A changing relation of the public to science and progress

* See for instance roudil 2007, Roudil et all 2011 2012, Beillan 2009 & 2011, Zelem et all 2010,
Nosperger et ali 2011 Smith & Syfang.
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 Agency also exist at home

Social practices as a multi-dimensional integrative perspective?

Energy Technologies make sense within a comprehensive system
of meaning for households
Example: French Energyhab Project

Peoples models and projects of life

Choices and arbitrations
Economic constraint and resources
A motivation to reduce energy consumption most of the time financial and rarely
environmental

Social Norm of Comfort

Arbitration and balance between everyday life comfort and comfort linked to the
mobilization of consumer goods

Material Culture/infrastructure of provision

A dynamic and iterative relationship between technological system and social
practices
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Kiitos huomiota
Thank you for your attention
Merci de votre attention

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References (To be completed)

Akrich, Madeleine.1987. Comment dcrire les objets techniques.In Techniques et Culture, 9, pp 49-64.
Akrich, Madeleine.1989. La construction dun systme socio-technique Esquisse pour une anthropologie des
techniques.In Antropologie et socits, vol. 13 n 2, pp. 31-54.
Akrich, Madeleine. 1992. The De-scription of Technological Objects. In Shaping Technology, edited by Wiebe Bijker and
John Law, pp. 205-224. Cambridge:MIT Press.
Guy, Simon; Shove, Elisabeth. 2000. A sociology of Energy, Buildings and the Environment- Constructing knowledge,
designing practice. Routledge Research Global Envrionmental Change, London & New York.
Zelem, Marie-christine 2010 XXXXXXXXXXX
Wilhite
Shove
Energyhab
Devine-Wright
Creaty acceptance European project WWWW
Latour monde incertain
Boy & Brugidou 2008)

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