ARE YOU AN INDIVIDUAL OR A HOUSEHOLD? CONSEQUENCES FOR ENERGY POLICY FROM CONCEPT CONFUSION Prof Jenny Palm and Prof Kajsa Ellegård Linköping University Dept of Thematic Studies – Technology and Social Change

Points of departure Policies aiming at reducing energy use in the household sector usually target “the customer”….. ….who most often equals the person in the household receiving the bill. This is probably one important reason to the limited effect of many information policies In the policy context the household mostly is treated as if the whole household equals one of its individual members This is problematic – if the household is not a single person household: In a household with more than one member they can coordinate activities or perform activities individually… …and all household members are not at home at the same time. 2

Aim and content We aim to shed light on problems arising when confusing the concepts household and individual in developing policies aiming at reducing energy use in the household sector We strive to increase the understanding of the household sector, make it less “black boxed” We will reveal some of the important aspects that ought to be included when formulating policies directed to the energy sector 3

Data We will visualize the use of homes by individuals and households. Visualizations are based on time diaries. The time-diaries were collected in a pilot study by Statistics Sweden in 1996 and written by individuals households years old One weekday and one weekend diary per individual 4

Heating as example The most energy intensive part of the household sector in Sweden is indoor heating and hot water Discussion about how time scheduled control of indoor heating in homes could contribute to energy conservation, since there is a lot of energy to save from lowering the indoor temperature when nobody is at home How much time do people spend at home: individually – and together in their household? How do individuals coordinate – if they coordinate – in terms of spending time in their homes? 5

Being in the home On average, people spend 65% of their day in the home on weekdays. However, homes may be occupied during a larger portion of the day..since household members in households with more than one member may use the home all day, even if all members spend part of the day away from the home. Therefore, it is important to know the number of persons there are in households, how much time they spend at home – and when and for how long they are at home. 6

7 Time spent at home by 452 individuals, weekdays. 85+ Men Women 10 At home Out of home

8 a) The two persons have exactly the same pattern of being at home and the home is empty for 35% of the day. The use of the home in 2-person households where each household member spends 65% of his/her time at home might show different faces

9 b) Even if the two persons are at home for exactly the same period of time (65% of the day) as in a), the home is never empty since the household members time at home overlap. The use of the home in 2-person households where each household member spends 65% of his/her time at home might show different faces

10 c) The two household members spend 65% of their day at home and parts of this time is overlapping, while there is still some time when the home is empty. The use of the home in 2-person households where each household member spends 65% of his/her time at home might show different faces

11 The use of the home in 2-person households where each household member spends 65% of his/her time at home might show different faces

12 2 adults, 3 children, 4 rooms, owned house Man full-time work, woman part-time 2 adults, 5 rooms, owned house Both with pension 2 adults, 2 daughters, 5 rooms, owned house Man part-time work, women full-time, girls go to school 2 adults, 5 children, 6 rooms, owned house Man full-time work, women part-time, 1 boy 1 girl go to school EXAMPLE: HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS IN THE HOME

Final remarks It is relatively easy to handle individuals’ being at home It is much more complicated to handle a household’s being at home To reduce energy use for heating and hot water in households with more than one member, empirically grounded models must be developed. Such models must capture variations between households with different activity patterns. 13

14 Thank you!