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Kirsten Gram-Hanssen
Aalborg University, Copenhagen, Denmark

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Research article
Published: 12 May 2021 in Journal of Consumer Culture
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Since the turn of the century, sociological consumer research has had a strong focus on ordinary, routinised consumption, especially within the sustainability context. This approach has been a welcome alternative when understanding sustainable consumption compared with relying on individualistic psychological or identity-communicative approaches. However, with the shift towards a practice theoretical approach, there has been a tendency to ignore variation in consumer practices. Specifically, questions regarding the extent to which ethical concern can explain variance have not yet been included. Important questions, such as whether and how ethics takes part in changing practices in more sustainable directions, have similarly been neglected. This theoretically based article intends to contribute to further developing theories of practice by bringing together three discussions: how variation in carrying and performing practices can be conceptualised, how different approaches to consumption have conceptualised ethics and how ethics of care and the concept of general understandings can be used to conceptualise ethical aspects of consumption within theories of practice. The article concludes by summarising the findings from these discussions and raising questions of further empirical and theoretical concern.

ACS Style

Kirsten Gram-Hanssen. Conceptualising ethical consumption within theories of practice. Journal of Consumer Culture 2021, 21, 432 -449.

AMA Style

Kirsten Gram-Hanssen. Conceptualising ethical consumption within theories of practice. Journal of Consumer Culture. 2021; 21 (3):432-449.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kirsten Gram-Hanssen. 2021. "Conceptualising ethical consumption within theories of practice." Journal of Consumer Culture 21, no. 3: 432-449.

Journal article
Published: 10 September 2020 in Energies
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A key aspect of the design of specific tariff structures is to identify and characterize homogeneous electricity consumption profiles. Recent research in residential electricity demand has explored load profile segmentation via cluster analysis combined with descriptive data from the dwelling and occupants, which has partly explained electricity load patterns and their underlying drivers but has failed to investigate any consumption heterogeneity among similar households. Thus, the aim of this paper is to reverse this approach and investigate the extent that households with similar characteristics have different electricity consumption patterns. This study combines population-based register data with hourly electricity consumption data for a sample of 67 Danish households. First, a homogenous household group is selected based on several indicators that signal vulnerability. The specific group under investigation is single-person, older, low-income households in detached housing. Second, K-means clustering is used to identify similarities and differences in consumption patterns. The results indicate four distinct vulnerable household profiles characterized by different start and end times of peak and off-peak times, peak intensities, and overall consumption, which vary across seasons. These profiles are discussed concerning the performance of everyday practices and the design of demand-side management strategies targeted at vulnerable households.

ACS Style

Gianluca Trotta; Kirsten Gram-Hanssen; Pernille Lykke Jørgensen. Heterogeneity of Electricity Consumption Patterns in Vulnerable Households. Energies 2020, 13, 4713 .

AMA Style

Gianluca Trotta, Kirsten Gram-Hanssen, Pernille Lykke Jørgensen. Heterogeneity of Electricity Consumption Patterns in Vulnerable Households. Energies. 2020; 13 (18):4713.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gianluca Trotta; Kirsten Gram-Hanssen; Pernille Lykke Jørgensen. 2020. "Heterogeneity of Electricity Consumption Patterns in Vulnerable Households." Energies 13, no. 18: 4713.

Journal article
Published: 27 July 2020 in Sustainability
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In the near future, renewable energy sources (RES) will make up an increasing share of energy production in the district heating grid, implying that utilities must enable energy flexibility in order to compensate for the intermittent nature of RES. Current initiatives rely on smart approaches, encouraging a flexible energy demand by integrating various demand-side-management technologies. While praised for their ‘smart’ capabilities, smart home technologies have also been criticized for not meeting their potential in terms of savings and flexibility. This paper examines space-heating practices in everyday life in 16 Danish households. The study relies on qualitative in-depth interviews and ‘show and tell’ tours within these homes. Results show how space-heating practices are reconfigured by embodied knowledge related to respectively space-heating and use of smart technology. This implies that occupants’ adaption to smart home technology is reconfigured by their previous experiences as well as the meanings they ascribed to their practices. By showing the different ways in which occupants ‘get to know’ smart home technology, results highlight forms of embodied knowledge which occupants habitually draw on when they heat their homes. Occupants learn and carry competences for conducting space heating throughout life, and interventions aimed at enabling a flexible energy demand need to consider this. As smart home technology is integrated in homes, interventions should consider embodied knowledge as part of occupants’ competences for controlling smart home technology, as this will impact the reconfiguration of (new) space heating practices.

ACS Style

Simon Peter Aslak Kondrup Larsen; Kirsten Gram-Hanssen. When Space Heating Becomes Digitalized: Investigating Competencies for Controlling Smart Home Technology in the Energy-Efficient Home. Sustainability 2020, 12, 6031 .

AMA Style

Simon Peter Aslak Kondrup Larsen, Kirsten Gram-Hanssen. When Space Heating Becomes Digitalized: Investigating Competencies for Controlling Smart Home Technology in the Energy-Efficient Home. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (15):6031.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Simon Peter Aslak Kondrup Larsen; Kirsten Gram-Hanssen. 2020. "When Space Heating Becomes Digitalized: Investigating Competencies for Controlling Smart Home Technology in the Energy-Efficient Home." Sustainability 12, no. 15: 6031.

Journal article
Published: 18 May 2020 in Sustainability
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Consumer engagement in the energy system is necessary to ensure a low-carbon transition. However, this has proved difficult because consumers are engaged in pursuing everyday practices rather than focusing on abstract questions of energy. Recent studies have suggested that being a prosumer can make a difference. This paper builds on survey data from a representative sample of 2505 photovoltaic (PV) owners in Denmark combined with 12 qualitative in-depth interviews. The results indicate that PV owners consider that they have become more concerned about energy consumption and adjust the timing of their everyday practices to their production. Thus, 67% of the households ‘often’ or ‘always’ time-shift the use of washing machines to their production. The extent to which households time-shift is strongly related to their net-metering scheme. Thus, 75% of the households on hourly metering stated that they ‘to some’ or to ‘a great extent’ adjust their consumption, compared to only 26% of the households on annual metering. This financial effect is interpreted in an everyday life context where financial gain transfers meanings of self-sufficiency and sustainability, rather than primarily being viewed as rational economic behaviour. The conclusion discusses the policy implications of methods to engage the consumer.

ACS Style

Kirsten Gram-Hanssen; Anders Rhiger Hansen; Mette Mechlenborg. Danish PV Prosumers’ Time-Shifting of Energy-Consuming Everyday Practices. Sustainability 2020, 12, 4121 .

AMA Style

Kirsten Gram-Hanssen, Anders Rhiger Hansen, Mette Mechlenborg. Danish PV Prosumers’ Time-Shifting of Energy-Consuming Everyday Practices. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (10):4121.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kirsten Gram-Hanssen; Anders Rhiger Hansen; Mette Mechlenborg. 2020. "Danish PV Prosumers’ Time-Shifting of Energy-Consuming Everyday Practices." Sustainability 12, no. 10: 4121.

Journal article
Published: 09 April 2020 in Energy Research & Social Science
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A reduction of residential energy consumption is urgently needed, and gender is central in the performance of residential practices for this energy consumption. Thus, including gender is necessary for energy research. Theories of practice have proven to be a useful approach to the study of residential energy consumption. However, these theoretical approaches have only included gender to a limited extent. Building on contributions from gender studies, this paper presents an analytical framework for working with gender in theories of practice. The focus is on residential energy consumption in north-western middle-class homes, as most energy is consumed here. The paper presents the argument that gender can be conceptualised as `general understandings’ in theories of practice because `general understandings´ combines discursive and tacit elements of practices. Further, the paper builds on the practice theoretical understanding that the roles of materials, such as technology and houses, change according to specific associated practices. This also means that the practice as much as the materials are gendered. The paper concludes by indicating four ways to include gender in residential energy studies: 1) in all parts of the research design, 2) in the analysis of the surrounding institutions, 3) in the study of the performance of energy-related practices, and 4) in how gender is affected by and affects sustainable transitions.

ACS Style

Mette Mechlenborg; Kirsten Gram-Hanssen. Gendered homes in theories of practice: A framework for research in residential energy consumption. Energy Research & Social Science 2020, 67, 101538 .

AMA Style

Mette Mechlenborg, Kirsten Gram-Hanssen. Gendered homes in theories of practice: A framework for research in residential energy consumption. Energy Research & Social Science. 2020; 67 ():101538.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Mette Mechlenborg; Kirsten Gram-Hanssen. 2020. "Gendered homes in theories of practice: A framework for research in residential energy consumption." Energy Research & Social Science 67, no. : 101538.

Erratum
Published: 09 March 2020 in Applied Energy
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ACS Style

Paula Van Den Brom; Anders Rhiger Hansen; Kirsten Gram-Hanssen; Arjen Meijer; Henk Visscher. Corrigendum to “Variances in residential heating consumption – Importance of building characteristics and occupants analysed by movers and stayers” [Appl. Energy 250 (2019) 713–728]. Applied Energy 2020, 265, 114714 .

AMA Style

Paula Van Den Brom, Anders Rhiger Hansen, Kirsten Gram-Hanssen, Arjen Meijer, Henk Visscher. Corrigendum to “Variances in residential heating consumption – Importance of building characteristics and occupants analysed by movers and stayers” [Appl. Energy 250 (2019) 713–728]. Applied Energy. 2020; 265 ():114714.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Paula Van Den Brom; Anders Rhiger Hansen; Kirsten Gram-Hanssen; Arjen Meijer; Henk Visscher. 2020. "Corrigendum to “Variances in residential heating consumption – Importance of building characteristics and occupants analysed by movers and stayers” [Appl. Energy 250 (2019) 713–728]." Applied Energy 265, no. : 114714.

Conference paper
Published: 31 October 2019 in IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science
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Intermittent energy resources challenge the ways in which the existing energy system operates. Studies suggest that residential buildings can provide a flexibility service for district heating (DH) systems. This technique involves load shifting by heating buildings to higher temperatures at times when energy is more readily available, thus diminishing heating needs at times of peak demand or when energy is scarce. Based on three Future Workshops (FWs) where DH professionals and other relevant DH stakeholders participated and discussed this topic, this paper reports on the extent to which these actors see energy flexibility as a realistic future development, and on what they see as key potentials and challenges in that regard. Preliminary results indicate that the mix of the actors and the specific local context greatly influence how this topic is understood, emphasizing the importance of including local context in investigations of energy flexibility. FW participants included representatives from DH companies, municipalities, building associations, technology developers, etc. The FWs were conducted at three different localities of Denmark: Copenhagen, Aalborg and Sønderborg, i.e. the national capital, a regional capital and a smaller city, respectively.

ACS Style

P V K Andersen; S Georg; K Gram-Hanssen; P K Heiselberg; A Horsbøl; K Johansen; Hicham Johra; Anna Joanna Marszal; E S Møller. Using residential buildings to manage flexibility in the district heating network: perspectives and future visions from sector professionals. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 2019, 352, 012032 .

AMA Style

P V K Andersen, S Georg, K Gram-Hanssen, P K Heiselberg, A Horsbøl, K Johansen, Hicham Johra, Anna Joanna Marszal, E S Møller. Using residential buildings to manage flexibility in the district heating network: perspectives and future visions from sector professionals. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. 2019; 352 (1):012032.

Chicago/Turabian Style

P V K Andersen; S Georg; K Gram-Hanssen; P K Heiselberg; A Horsbøl; K Johansen; Hicham Johra; Anna Joanna Marszal; E S Møller. 2019. "Using residential buildings to manage flexibility in the district heating network: perspectives and future visions from sector professionals." IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 352, no. 1: 012032.

Journal article
Published: 01 September 2019 in Applied Energy
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ACS Style

Paula Van Den Brom; Anders Rhiger Hansen; Kirsten Gram-Hanssen; Arjen Meijer; Henk Visscher. Variances in residential heating consumption – Importance of building characteristics and occupants analysed by movers and stayers. Applied Energy 2019, 250, 713 -728.

AMA Style

Paula Van Den Brom, Anders Rhiger Hansen, Kirsten Gram-Hanssen, Arjen Meijer, Henk Visscher. Variances in residential heating consumption – Importance of building characteristics and occupants analysed by movers and stayers. Applied Energy. 2019; 250 ():713-728.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Paula Van Den Brom; Anders Rhiger Hansen; Kirsten Gram-Hanssen; Arjen Meijer; Henk Visscher. 2019. "Variances in residential heating consumption – Importance of building characteristics and occupants analysed by movers and stayers." Applied Energy 250, no. : 713-728.

Journal article
Published: 28 April 2019 in Energy Research & Social Science
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Understanding the conventions of homely comfort is important to accommodate occupants’ expectations and needs in relation to a comfortable indoor environment (temperature, daylight, noise, and indoor air quality) in a society that needs to make serious reductions in energy consumption in accordance with the global climate agenda. Previous socio-technical research has focused on how conventions and expectations of thermal comfort are constructed over time. However, little is known about how such conventions and expectations vary across social groups. This paper uses survey data to explore social differences in conventions and the expectations of homely comfort. It does so by examining differences in how important occupants find various aspects of homely comfort that relate to the indoor environment (temperature, daylight, noise, and fresh air). The paper presents three main findings. First, it shows how the importance of different aspects of homely comfort relate to each other and indicates an underlying factor of importance of homely comfort. Second, the results indicate that women and older occupants tend to consider homely comfort to be more important than others do, whereas occupants with a high school or bachelor’s degree tend to consider homely comfort to be less important. This suggests that expectations of residential comfort vary according to social group differences. Third, the results indicate that how important occupants find homely comfort is associated with higher levels of energy used for space heating. This suggests that everyday practices related to home heating are organised according to differences in how important occupants consider different aspects of homely comfort. Finally, how a better understanding of the social structures of evaluating comfort can be incorporated into policy for a sustainable future is discussed.

ACS Style

Anders Rhiger Hansen; Line Valdorff Madsen; Henrik N. Knudsen; Kirsten Gram-Hanssen. Gender, age, and educational differences in the importance of homely comfort in Denmark. Energy Research & Social Science 2019, 54, 157 -165.

AMA Style

Anders Rhiger Hansen, Line Valdorff Madsen, Henrik N. Knudsen, Kirsten Gram-Hanssen. Gender, age, and educational differences in the importance of homely comfort in Denmark. Energy Research & Social Science. 2019; 54 ():157-165.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Anders Rhiger Hansen; Line Valdorff Madsen; Henrik N. Knudsen; Kirsten Gram-Hanssen. 2019. "Gender, age, and educational differences in the importance of homely comfort in Denmark." Energy Research & Social Science 54, no. : 157-165.

Research article
Published: 12 January 2019 in Time & Society
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This paper explores methodologically and theoretically how to understand variations in the temporal performances of showering as a practice-as-entity. Time-based data on domestic hot water consumption in 134 Danish households show distinctly different patterns, where some households exhibit highest consumption in the morning and others in the evening. This temporal pattern of showering is analysed based on an innovative combination of statistical cluster analysis and qualitative interviews. Focus is on the timing of showering related to sequences of other everyday practices, and to the rules, meanings and dispositions guiding this practice. From a sustainability perspective, the consumption of water and energy entailed by showering is problematic, and with increasingly intermittent renewable energy production, the timing of showering also becomes an issue. The study demonstrates that the time of showering is closely related to sequences of different practices, that dispositions and socio-demographics influence the order of sequences, and that meanings of showering may vary accordingly. However, there are also common meanings and rules related to showering across these variations, which contribute to the formation of showering as a practice-as-entity.

ACS Style

Kirsten Gram-Hanssen; Toke Haunstrup Christensen; Line Valdorff Madsen; Carolina Do Carmo. Sequence of practices in personal and societal rhythms – Showering as a case. Time & Society 2019, 29, 256 -281.

AMA Style

Kirsten Gram-Hanssen, Toke Haunstrup Christensen, Line Valdorff Madsen, Carolina Do Carmo. Sequence of practices in personal and societal rhythms – Showering as a case. Time & Society. 2019; 29 (1):256-281.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kirsten Gram-Hanssen; Toke Haunstrup Christensen; Line Valdorff Madsen; Carolina Do Carmo. 2019. "Sequence of practices in personal and societal rhythms – Showering as a case." Time & Society 29, no. 1: 256-281.

Original article
Published: 05 January 2019 in Energy Efficiency
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Future smart infrastructure development, in both developing and developed countries, is hinged on demand management and response strategies with consumers actively involved in time-shifting electricity consumption for improved efficiency. This paper presents a qualitative, interview-based, comparative study of how homeowners adapt their practices to the changing systems of electricity provision in two countries, Pakistan and Denmark. It reveals that household practices like laundering are flexible, highly contextualised and embedded in the wider socio-material and cultural context. In Denmark, time-shifting of laundering in households with photovoltaics is done voluntarily and closely interwoven with the temporal rhythms of the common dual-income household, as well as the natural cycles of the sun and weather, and is in most cases based on some degree of automation. In Pakistan, blackout schedules dictate time-shifting of most practices. Large family sizes and nuanced clothing make laundering more complex, socially bound and time-consuming; however, joint family systems, provision of house-staff and outsourcing make it more time-flexible and less dependent on automation and electricity-use. Using theories on temporalities of practices in a cross-cultural analysis highlights the significance of local socio-material and cultural context in the performance, bundling and synchronisation of practices. While practice theories prove useful in cross-cultural comparison of temporalities of household practices and demand, further theory development is needed to conceptualise practices as shared or socially differentiated entities in varying cultural contexts. This has implications for demand management policies proposed in smart-grid transitions as well as in the possible cross-cultural transfer of smart technology and demand response strategies.

ACS Style

Rihab Khalid; Toke Haunstrup Christensen; Kirsten Gram-Hanssen; Freja Friis. Time-shifting laundry practices in a smart grid perspective: a cross-cultural analysis of Pakistani and Danish middle-class households. Energy Efficiency 2019, 12, 1691 -1706.

AMA Style

Rihab Khalid, Toke Haunstrup Christensen, Kirsten Gram-Hanssen, Freja Friis. Time-shifting laundry practices in a smart grid perspective: a cross-cultural analysis of Pakistani and Danish middle-class households. Energy Efficiency. 2019; 12 (7):1691-1706.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Rihab Khalid; Toke Haunstrup Christensen; Kirsten Gram-Hanssen; Freja Friis. 2019. "Time-shifting laundry practices in a smart grid perspective: a cross-cultural analysis of Pakistani and Danish middle-class households." Energy Efficiency 12, no. 7: 1691-1706.

Journal article
Published: 04 December 2018 in Energy and Buildings
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During recent years, the research in reduction of energy use in buildings has focused primarily on decrease of space heating needs, energy for ventilation and recently cooling, whereas domestic hot water (DHW) has been overlooked. In 2013, the energy use for DHW was estimated at 16% of total heat requirement in EU28 households, but in new energy-efficient buildings this share is documented to be around 40-50%. Generally, however, there is limited knowledge of DHW. This paper presents a simple methodology, which enables calculation of the mean hourly and the daily profiles of DHW demand from hourly values of the building total heat demand, and thus contributes to gaining a better understanding of the DHW usage. The method is validated with data from single-family houses and apartments and afterwards applied to dataset consisting of hourly total heat consumption readings from 38 single-family houses delivered by district heating. The method gives satisfying results when the DHW usage during summer is at least at the same level as the space heating demand, which is the case in apartments and in the energy-efficient houses. The standard deviation was used as preliminary classification criterion for deciding if the method can or cannot be applied. Two limits were found σ >240 for apartments and σ < 800 for single-family houses.

ACS Style

Anna Marszal-Pomianowska; Chen Zhang; Michal Pomianowski; Per Heiselberg; Kirsten Gram-Hanssen; Anders Rhiger Hansen. Simple methodology to estimate the mean hourly and the daily profiles of domestic hot water demand from hourly total heating readings. Energy and Buildings 2018, 184, 53 -64.

AMA Style

Anna Marszal-Pomianowska, Chen Zhang, Michal Pomianowski, Per Heiselberg, Kirsten Gram-Hanssen, Anders Rhiger Hansen. Simple methodology to estimate the mean hourly and the daily profiles of domestic hot water demand from hourly total heating readings. Energy and Buildings. 2018; 184 ():53-64.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Anna Marszal-Pomianowska; Chen Zhang; Michal Pomianowski; Per Heiselberg; Kirsten Gram-Hanssen; Anders Rhiger Hansen. 2018. "Simple methodology to estimate the mean hourly and the daily profiles of domestic hot water demand from hourly total heating readings." Energy and Buildings 184, no. : 53-64.

Chapter
Published: 20 July 2018 in Social Practices and Dynamic Non-Humans
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In theories of social practice, energy consumption is commonly understood to follow from social practices performed by humans. Yet smart home technologies and automation more broadly raise questions about this conceptualisation. This chapter rethinks theories of practice to include automated devices and systems not only as the material arrangements within which humans perform practices (following Schatzki), but as carriers and performers of practices. It takes a historical perspective to describe different types of smart home automation and their co-evolution with the performance of everyday practices. The chapter argues that by bringing Latour’s symmetrical anthropology into theories of practice, humans and non-humans can be included as part of both the material arrangements and as possible performers of practices.

ACS Style

Kirsten Gram-Hanssen. Automation, Smart Homes and Symmetrical Anthropology: Non-humans as Performers of Practices? Social Practices and Dynamic Non-Humans 2018, 235 -253.

AMA Style

Kirsten Gram-Hanssen. Automation, Smart Homes and Symmetrical Anthropology: Non-humans as Performers of Practices? Social Practices and Dynamic Non-Humans. 2018; ():235-253.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kirsten Gram-Hanssen. 2018. "Automation, Smart Homes and Symmetrical Anthropology: Non-humans as Performers of Practices?" Social Practices and Dynamic Non-Humans , no. : 235-253.

Oxencycl entry
Published: 07 June 2018 in The Oxford Handbook of Political Consumerism
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Household appliances and electronics have massive environmental implications caused by the consumption of energy and scarce materials and the release of hazardous chemicals related to production, use, and disposal as well as social issues related to working conditions and the north-south division in production and waste handling. Still, political consumerism is quite absent from this field. Public policy measures within this area include energy labels and product policies as well as some consumer campaigns. This chapter argues that the main reasons behind the environmental problems related to these products are the growing number and frequent replacement of products. However, this is practically missing in public policymaking and only marginally dealt with through initiatives of political consumerism. This chapter documents the relative absence of political consumerism in the field of electronics and household appliances and discusses how to understand this in relation to different types of social drivers behind consumption.

ACS Style

Toke Haunstrup Christensen; Kirsten Gram-Hanssen; Mette Hove Jacobsen. Household Appliances and Electronics. The Oxford Handbook of Political Consumerism 2018, 388 -410.

AMA Style

Toke Haunstrup Christensen, Kirsten Gram-Hanssen, Mette Hove Jacobsen. Household Appliances and Electronics. The Oxford Handbook of Political Consumerism. 2018; ():388-410.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Toke Haunstrup Christensen; Kirsten Gram-Hanssen; Mette Hove Jacobsen. 2018. "Household Appliances and Electronics." The Oxford Handbook of Political Consumerism , no. : 388-410.

Journal article
Published: 01 June 2018 in Energy Research & Social Science
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ACS Style

Line Valdorff Madsen; Kirsten Gram-Hanssen. Corrigendum to ‘Understanding comfort and senses in social practice theory: Insights from a Danish field study’ [Energy Res. Soc. Sci. 29 (2017) 86–94]. Energy Research & Social Science 2018, 40, 109 .

AMA Style

Line Valdorff Madsen, Kirsten Gram-Hanssen. Corrigendum to ‘Understanding comfort and senses in social practice theory: Insights from a Danish field study’ [Energy Res. Soc. Sci. 29 (2017) 86–94]. Energy Research & Social Science. 2018; 40 ():109.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Line Valdorff Madsen; Kirsten Gram-Hanssen. 2018. "Corrigendum to ‘Understanding comfort and senses in social practice theory: Insights from a Danish field study’ [Energy Res. Soc. Sci. 29 (2017) 86–94]." Energy Research & Social Science 40, no. : 109.

Original article
Published: 29 March 2018 in Energy Efficiency
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Energy retrofitting of existing buildings is a central challenge for local, national, and international climate policies, and in several countries, single-family houses represent a major energy-saving potential. Although many municipalities are implementing local climate policies with initiatives to promote energy retrofitting of buildings, little research has been done regarding the role of single-family houses in local climate policies. Thus, we have little knowledge about specific initiatives to promote energy retrofitting amongst owners of single-family houses, we know little about experience from such initiatives, and we lack knowledge about the extent to which national and EU policies support local initiatives directed at homeowners. This article provides insights into these issues from an explorative study on local climate strategies in Danish front-runner municipalities where single-family housing is the dominating building segment. Based on a study of local governance strategies in 12 municipalities targeting homeowners’ engagement in energy retrofitting, the paper finds that these municipalities have developed promising local network-based ways to engage homeowners in energy retrofitting, but finds simultaneously that the national policy mix is only partly supporting these local initiatives. The paper also points out that the local and regional context for the programmes, including the local economic situation, is of great importance, and this context creates both potentials and challenges for the local programmes.

ACS Style

Kirsten Gram-Hanssen; Jesper Ole Jensen; Freja Friis. Local strategies to promote energy retrofitting of single-family houses. Energy Efficiency 2018, 11, 1955 -1970.

AMA Style

Kirsten Gram-Hanssen, Jesper Ole Jensen, Freja Friis. Local strategies to promote energy retrofitting of single-family houses. Energy Efficiency. 2018; 11 (8):1955-1970.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kirsten Gram-Hanssen; Jesper Ole Jensen; Freja Friis. 2018. "Local strategies to promote energy retrofitting of single-family houses." Energy Efficiency 11, no. 8: 1955-1970.

Journal article
Published: 01 March 2018 in Energy Research & Social Science
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This article develops concepts of what the home is and reflects on smart home technology and the research literature on smart homes in relation to these concepts. The focus is on the aspects of smart home technologies related to energy management within the home (end-uses) and at network or grid level (system). Four aspects of a home are distinguished: a place for security and control, for activity, for relationships and continuity, and for identity and values. These aspects of home are used to discuss approaches to, and ideas of, the smart home, as reflected in the research literature. It is shown that technical and ‘prospective’ research literature focuses on aspects of security and control in the home as well as on activities, whereas research papers that are more conceptual and evaluative are more likely to include questions of relations, values and identities. The paper concludes that a broader understanding of the home in all aspects is needed when conducting research into smart homes. This can be valuable when evaluating how smart home technologies work in real homes, as well as in the more technical and prospective approaches to developing new socio-technical configurations

ACS Style

Kirsten Gram-Hanssen; Sarah Darby. “Home is where the smart is”? Evaluating smart home research and approaches against the concept of home. Energy Research & Social Science 2018, 37, 94 -101.

AMA Style

Kirsten Gram-Hanssen, Sarah Darby. “Home is where the smart is”? Evaluating smart home research and approaches against the concept of home. Energy Research & Social Science. 2018; 37 ():94-101.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kirsten Gram-Hanssen; Sarah Darby. 2018. "“Home is where the smart is”? Evaluating smart home research and approaches against the concept of home." Energy Research & Social Science 37, no. : 94-101.

Information
Published: 12 February 2018 in Building Research & Information
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Building regulations are important policy instruments for increasing building energy efficiency. However, when it comes to actual energy use, studies have shown that improvements in building energy efficiency are offset by changes in the inhabitants’ comfort practices. Nevertheless, the improvement of energy efficiency continues to be a cornerstone in building regulations, with no consideration of how this simultaneously influences everyday practices. The example of Danish building regulations, which are among the strictest in Europe, is critically reviewed for the implications regulatory design can have for reducing energy consumption. Based on readings of policy documents, consultancy reports and research papers from the last two decades, this paper outlines where things go amiss during a building’s lifetime if a user perspective is excluded. The focus is on three phases: the development of new building technologies, the design and construction of buildings, and occupancy. The question of how building regulations could be redesigned to regulate energy use better is explored, along with what research and strategies are needed within four domains: developing alternative measures to energy per square meter; developing more advanced models simulating occupancy; improving feedback technologies’ usability; and the increased use of commissioning and post-occupancy evaluations.

ACS Style

Kirsten Gram-Hanssen; Susse Georg; Ellen Christiansen; Per Heiselberg. What next for energy-related building regulations?: the occupancy phase. Building Research & Information 2018, 46, 790 -803.

AMA Style

Kirsten Gram-Hanssen, Susse Georg, Ellen Christiansen, Per Heiselberg. What next for energy-related building regulations?: the occupancy phase. Building Research & Information. 2018; 46 (7):790-803.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kirsten Gram-Hanssen; Susse Georg; Ellen Christiansen; Per Heiselberg. 2018. "What next for energy-related building regulations?: the occupancy phase." Building Research & Information 46, no. 7: 790-803.

Editorial
Published: 22 August 2017 in Building Research & Information
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ACS Style

Kirsten Gram-Hanssen; Susse Georg. Energy performance gaps: promises, people, practices. Building Research & Information 2017, 46, 1 -9.

AMA Style

Kirsten Gram-Hanssen, Susse Georg. Energy performance gaps: promises, people, practices. Building Research & Information. 2017; 46 (1):1-9.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kirsten Gram-Hanssen; Susse Georg. 2017. "Energy performance gaps: promises, people, practices." Building Research & Information 46, no. 1: 1-9.

Research
Published: 13 July 2017 in Building Research & Information
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The discrepancy between calculated heat demand and measured heat consumption – the performance gap – suggests that the energy efficiency of houses affects the energy-consuming habits of its occupants. This coincides with the theories of practice describing how materiality affects practices through reconfiguring practical understandings, e.g. comfort expectations. Heat-related habits are investigated in the paper across material contexts, e.g. building characteristics and technologies. Evidence based on a combined questionnaire survey and administrative data on occupants (n = 1216) living in single-family detached houses in Denmark shows that the practices of adjusting thermostats and the amount of clothing worn indoors as well as perceived indoor temperature correlate with building characteristics, e.g. energy efficiency of the building envelope and technical installations. These correlations are moderated by the socio-demographic characteristics of occupants. However, building characteristics are found to be less influential on the frequency of opening windows. The results indicate that occupants dress warmer and keep lower temperatures in energy-inefficient houses. This suggests that material arrangements have a significant influence on occupant expectations and practices, which lead to increased indoor temperatures and energy demand. A challenge for building regulations will be to account for how energy efficient house characteristics and technologies adversely affect occupants’ energy-consuming behaviour.

ACS Style

Anders Rhiger Hansen; Kirsten Gram-Hanssen; Henrik N. Knudsen. How building design and technologies influence heat-related habits. Building Research & Information 2017, 46, 83 -98.

AMA Style

Anders Rhiger Hansen, Kirsten Gram-Hanssen, Henrik N. Knudsen. How building design and technologies influence heat-related habits. Building Research & Information. 2017; 46 (1):83-98.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Anders Rhiger Hansen; Kirsten Gram-Hanssen; Henrik N. Knudsen. 2017. "How building design and technologies influence heat-related habits." Building Research & Information 46, no. 1: 83-98.