Sustainable Construction Research at IGEAT - 2014

Energy and smart grids.

Users’ studies

Grégoire Wallenborn

Sustainable Construction and Efficient Energy

Tours & Taxis

21th of January 2014

IGEAT

• Institut de Gestion de l’Environnement et

d’Amenagement du Territoire

• Founded in 1993.

• Specialised in environment-society relationships.

• About 40 researchers and professors: multidisciplinary

team (geography, economy, sociology, impact

assessment, philosophy, design, …).

• Multiple partnerships and funding sources.

• Quantitative and qualitative methodologies.

• http://igeat.ulb.ac.be

Wouter Achten

• New assistant Professor.

• Chair “Environmental impacts”

• PhD Bio Science Engineering (KUL, 2010).

• LCA, Carbon footprint, land use impact

assessment.

• Fields of application: biofuels, biomaterials, food,

agriculture.

• Projects: IWT (R&D), partner in 3 FP7 projects

Wouter Achten’s research interests

• Life cycle thinking

• LCA – materials, buildings

– Carbon footprint: cities

• LCC

• Developing assessment tools (rather than simple applications) – Social LCA

– Dynamic LCA

• Life cycle as a tool of management, design or use time determination.

My interests

• Background: STS (Science and Technology Studies)

• Issues crossing technology, environment and daily life.

• Interdisciplinary projets

• Sustainable consumption patterns, incl. scenario building

methodologies.

• Domestic energy consumption analysed through social

practices (beyond the technology/behaviour divide), incl.

social inequalities and rebound effects.

• Ecodesign and user-centered design.

• Place of users in smart buildings and smart grids.

Determining profiles

Specifying household profiles for more efficient energy

demand-side management. 2004-2006. Belspo. With

CRIOC and ICEDD.

• Surveys: quantitative and qualitative

• Some results:

– Gaps between attitudes and behaviours.

– Diversity of interests to conserve energy.

– Identification of constraints (NB. Constraints both enable and

disable).

– Importance of other actors (a.o. architects, technicians, …)

• Integration of Standards, Users and

Ecodesign in energy-using products. 2006-

2010. Belspo. With CRIOC & ICEDD.

• Exploration of the ecodesign and the

interfaces of some appliances (heating,

lights, computer, washing machines, in-

home displays)

• Main results:

– Diversity of users’ representation in the EuP

directive.

– Standards embody some idea of users: uses

are ‘scripted’.

– Propositions of new interfaces.

– Quantitative survey of the appropriation of in-

home displays.

Mitigation policy and social justice

• Climate change mitigation policies and social

justice. 2011-2013. King Baudouin Foundation.

• Analysis of 3 measures from the point of view of

social justice:

– Carbon tax.

– Street by street renovation

– Smart meters roll-out

• EBP and social justice

THESPI

• Tools for Household Energy-Saving

Practices Innovation. 2010-2012.

Electrabel. With CEESE (ULB) and

KUL.

• Exhaustive review of social tools to

help households to reduce their

energy consumption (including

feedback and segmentation).

• Analysis of the ‘smart energy box’

appropriation by Electrabel’s

customers.

HECoRE • Household Energy Consumption and Rebound

Effects. 2010-2012. Belspo. With U.Antwerp and

ICEDD.

• Review of theoretical and empirical litterature on

rebound effects.

• Rebound effects are not the same in different

disciplines (economics, social psychology,

sociology).

• Flexibility and Heat Pumps. 2013-2015. Région

Wallonne. With Ulg, 3E, Lampiris, etc.

• Potential storage of electricity through heat pumps.

Study of energy use shifting and saving.

• User’s appropriation of devices and acceptability of

flexibility. Ethnographic survey.

• Development of interfaces about the conditions of the

electricity system.

FLEXIPAC

Segmentation : maitrise de la consommation*

Axe d’analyse : logique d’action

A Flexipac

preliminary

result

Thank you

gregoire.wallenborn@ulb.ac.be