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How moving home influences appliance ownership: a Passivhaus case study

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posted on 2023-07-26, 13:38 authored by Chris Foulds, Jane Powell, Gill Seyfang
Low carbon dwellings shift the focus to electricity consumption and appliances by significantly lowering space heating energy consumption. Using a UK Passivhaus (low carbon) case study, interviews and pre/post-move-in appliance audits were employed to investigate how moving home can change the appliance requirements of appliance-using practices. Changes in appliance ownership were due to differences in how appliance-using practices (e.g. cooking, laundering, homemaking) were being performed. Existing/new appliances complemented/conflicted with a new home on the basis of whether the social meanings of specific appliance-using practices (e.g. stylishness, convenience, thermal comfort, cleanliness) could be met. This was evident, when moving home more generally, by households buying new modern appliances and managing spatial constraints. More specifically, regarding Passivhaus, hosting and homemaking practices were performed in ways that met thermal comfort expectations, in addition to appliance purchasing also being influenced by a fear that the Passivhaus technologies could fail. Whilst skills and competences were needed to perform appliance-using practices, these were less prominent in influencing appliance ownership changes. Conclusions include reflections on how the elements of appliance-using practices change when moving home, as well as what adhering to building standards could mean for the standardisation of appliance-using practices and domestic life more generally.

History

Refereed

  • Yes

Volume

9

Issue number

455

Publication title

Energy Efficiency

ISSN

1570-6478

Publisher

Springer

File version

  • Published version

Language

  • eng

Legacy posted date

2015-09-08

Legacy creation date

2018-04-11

Legacy Faculty/School/Department

ARCHIVED Faculty of Science & Technology (until September 2018)

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