How non-energy policies shape demand for energy

This chapter introduces an important challenge to the conventional idea of ‘energy policy’. It explains how energy demand is not only affected by energy policy, but also by policies relating to other sectors, such as industry, transport, farming, health and education. We begin by showing how ʼnon-energy policies’ shape energy demand through the impact they have on what people do, and explain how these policies shape the timing, location and amount of energy demand. We then delve deeper into the mechanisms through which an illustrative non-energy policy (marketization) affects energy demand in one case study sector: UK Higher Education. We reflect on the ‘invisibility’ of these policy effects, and then discuss the implications of a recognition of these effects for policy and practice. We conclude by reflecting on how social scientists working on energy issues can contribute to greater understanding of this important but neglected aspect of energy governance.