'domesticating' Low Carbon Thermal Technologies: Diversity, Multiplicity and Variability in Older Person, Off Grid Households

Simple item page
aut.relation.endpage817
aut.relation.startpage807
aut.relation.volume67
aut.researcherWrapson, Wendy
dc.contributor.authorWrapson, W
dc.contributor.authorDevine-Wright, P
dc.date.accessioned2014-07-24T03:58:30Z
dc.date.accessioned2014-07-24T03:59:34Z
dc.date.available2014-07-24T03:58:30Z
dc.date.available2014-07-24T03:59:34Z
dc.date.copyright2014
dc.date.issued2014
dc.description.abstractThe uptake of low carbon heating technologies forms an important part of government strategies to reduce carbon emissions. Yet our understanding of why such technologies are adopted and how they are engaged with post-adoption, particularly by older adults living in off-grid areas, is limited. Drawing on a contextualised, socio-technical approach to domestic heating, we present findings from 51 in-depth interviews with a sample of 17 older person households in the South West of England, with ages ranging from 60 to 89 years. Diverse and multiple configurations of heating devices and fuels were found that varied considerably, with some households using five different fuels. The design of the study ensured that approximately half the sample used some form of low carbon thermal technology, such as heat pumps and biomass boilers. Many factors were reported to influence the adoption of low carbon heating; environmental motives were not primary influences and the avoidance of financial risks associated with ‘peak oil’ was expressed. Low carbon thermal technologies were typically integrated into rather than replaced existing heating systems so that valued services provided by conventional technologies could be retained. Implications of the findings for policies to reduce carbon emissions, particularly in older adult, off-grid households, are discussed.
dc.identifier.citationEnergy Policy, vol.67, pp.807 - 817
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.enpol.2013.11.078
dc.identifier.issn0301-4215
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10292/7501
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.relation.isreplacedby10292/7502
dc.relation.isreplacedbyhttp://hdl.handle.net/10292/7502
dc.relation.replaceshttp://hdl.handle.net/10292/7500
dc.relation.replaces10292/7500
dc.relation.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2013.11.078
dc.rightsCopyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in (see Citation). Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. The definitive version was published in (see Citation). The original publication is available at (see Publisher's Version).
dc.rights.accessrightsOpenAccess
dc.subjectLow carbon thermal technologies
dc.subjectDomestication
dc.subjectOlder people
dc.subjectOff grid
dc.title'domesticating' Low Carbon Thermal Technologies: Diversity, Multiplicity and Variability in Older Person, Off Grid Households
dc.typeJournal Article
pubs.elements-id163296
pubs.organisational-data/AUT
pubs.organisational-data/AUT/Health & Environmental Science
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