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- Sula, Migena, 1986-, et al.
(author)
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Adopting Space Sufficiency Interventions as a Means for Accelerating Energy Renovation : Swedish Homeowners’ Perspective
- 2023
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In: Proceedings of the International Conference “Sustainable Built Environment and Urban Transition”. - : Linnaeus University Press. - 9789180820424
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Residential energy consumption remains a significant driver of CO2 emissions in European buildings, demanding urgent action in the face of the climate crisis. While prevailing efforts have predominantly concentrated on enhancing energy efficiency and integrating renewable sources, addressing the climate urgency and resource constraints necessitates a paradigm shift towards sufficiency principles. Swedish statistics on Single-Family Houses (SFH) show that more than a third of households inhabit oversized spaces in aging buildings needing renovation. Sufficiency-oriented renovation strategies—optimizing, or reducing living areas per capita— present a promising avenue to achieve substantial energy reductions. This approach also opens the potential for space rentals, yielding combined energy and space efficiency advantages. In addition, the literature highlights reduced maintenance costs and potential urban housing crisis mitigation. However, practical implementation faces multiple obstacles.This paper investigates SFH owners' attitudes towards space-sufficiency interventions, focusing on living size preferences and identifying barriers and opportunities for sustainable housing. Through focus group sessions with SFH owners in November-December 2022, qualitative content analysis revealed that reducing living space per capita faces multifaceted challenges, despite potential benefits.These challenges encompass not only personal and psychological considerations but extend to economic, infrastructural, and policy barriers, including issues such as the potential breach of privacy, disruptions due to noise, dilemmas related to ownership and independency, disruptions to work-life dynamics, inadequate familiarity with sufficiency principles, and uncertainty imposed by space constraints. Strategic integration of sufficiency principles into energy-renovation policy alternatives necessitates a holistic approach that addresses these barriers, and some form of incentives may be needed to catalyze the adoption of sufficiency principles effectively.
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| 2. |
- Gustavsson, Leif, et al.
(author)
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Implementing energy efficiency measures in existing Swedish building stock
- 2008
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In: World Sustainable Energy Days 2008, 5-7 March 2008, Wels, Austria.
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There is a large potential for improving energy efficiency in the existing Swedish building stock. However, how successful the implementation of the efficiency measures will be, depends on economical and technical factors as well as on the attitudes and perceptions of the relevant actors. In this paper we use Rogers’ diffusion of innovation theory to analyze various factors affecting implementation of energy efficiency measures in the Swedish detached houses and apartment buildings. Results of recent Swedish household surveys concerning adoption of heating systems showed that majority of the respondents were satisfied with their heating systems and did not intend to install a new one. Economic aspects and functional reliability were important factors in the choice of heating systems, while installers/vendors were the most important sources of information on heating system. We discuss upcoming empirical studies on implementation of other energy efficiency measures, e.g. energy efficient windows and additional insulation, including that of heating systems, in detached houses and apartment buildings.
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| 3. |
- Mahapatra, Krushna, 1974-, et al.
(author)
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Perceptional and socio-economic factors in adoption of low energy houses
- 2009
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In: International Scientific Conference on Energy systems with IT, March 11-12, in connection with 'Energitiget 2009', Stockholm, Sweden.
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Diffusion of low energy houses reduces greenhouse emission from residential sector. However, adoption of such houses depends on the perception of the potential buyers. In this paper we have analyzed Swedish homeowners’ perception of low energy houses. Data was collected in 2008 from a mail-in questionnaire survey of about 3000 owners of detached houses. Results showed that about 39% of respondents, especially young, educated or whose household income was high, would consider buying a low energy house. Majority of the respondents agreed that a low energy house in comparison to a conventional house has lower operating energy cost, but higher investment cost. Majority thought that low energy houses do not have lower resale value, lower aesthetic appearance, or greater operational difficulty.
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| 4. |
- Mahapatra, Krushna, 1974-, et al.
(author)
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Policy instruments to promote energy efficiency in the building sector: Indian and Swedish experiences
- 2008
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In: 14th Annual International Sustainable Development Research Conference, 21-23 September, New Delhi, India.
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Energy efficiency measures in buildings are widely regarded as cost effective options to mitigate climate change. However, policy instruments are needed to improve the diffusion of such measures. The policy mix may be country-specific. Here, we compare and contrast the various policy instruments designed to enhance energy efficiency in the building sector in India and Sweden. The objective is to explore if the experiences of Sweden that have promoted energy efficiency in buildings for decades could be useful for India, where energy demand is forecasted to strongly increase. India and Sweden are very different, for example, in terms of development, size, priorities, population, and climatic conditions. In Sweden, policy initiatives to reduce energy use in buildings date back to the 1970s and the government is committed to significantly reduce energy use in buildings. In India, the interest in energy efficiency improvements in buildings is a recent phenomenon. The country introduced an energy conservation building code in 2007. This analysis shows that policy instruments are more prevalent in Sweden than in India where regulatory instruments are particularly lacking. Hence, Swedish buildings are more energy efficient than those in India. The Swedish experience could be useful for devising programs and implementing policy instruments to improve energy efficiency of Indian buildings.
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| 8. |
- Gustavsson, Leif, et al.
(author)
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Energy systems in transition: perspectives for the diffusion of small-scale wood pellet heating technology
- 2005
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In: International Journal of Technology Management. - 0267-5730 .- 1741-5276. ; 29:3/4, s. 327-347
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In response to environmental and supply security concerns associated with fossil fuels, promising small-scale wood heating systems with sizable market potentials have started to penetrate the residential heating market in Europe and elsewhere. Despite significant technological progress that led to cost reduction, increased levels of convenience, improved reliability and reduced environmental impact, the widespread diffusion of such systems will nonetheless take many years or even decades. Framework and market conditions, and especially drivers and barriers and the overall merits of such systems in comparison to alternative solutions, need to be properly understood by policy-makers and entrepreneurs for the successful promotion of these technologies. In this article we cover three important aspects related to small-scale wood pellet heating systems. First, we summarise recent technological, socio-economic and institutional trends. Second, results from a comparative analysis of the direct and indirect external costs and benefits of these technologies versus other heating technologies are reported. Third, the usefulness of various diffusion modelling approaches used in economics is discussed in the light of the technology scrutinised and existing data constraints.
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| 9. |
- Gustavsson, Leif, et al.
(author)
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Småhusägares inställning till fjärrvärme, pelletspannor och värmepumpar : Report prepared for Swedish Association of Pellet Producers (PiR), Stockholm, Sweden (in Swedish)
- 2008
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- I Sveriges villabestånd finns det en stor potential att ersätta elvärme och oljepannor med fjärrvärme, pelletspannor och värmepumpar. Vi analyserade effekterna av det svenska investeringsbidraget för konvertering från oljepannor och direktverkande el med s.k. “adopter-centric” metodik och hur konverteringen till fjärrvärme, pelletspannor och värmepumpar varierade. Resultaten från enkätundersökningar, som genomfördes hos 1500 slumpvist utvalda husägare i Sverige i september 2004 och januari 2007, visade att över 80% inte avsåg att byta värmesystem. Det trots att ca 37% av de svenska villaägarna fortfarande har el- eller oljeuppvärmning. Det statliga investeringsbidraget var viktigt för konvertering från direktverkande el, men inte för konvertering från olja. Det beror på att de flesta husägarna redan har bytt ut sina oljepannor, medan få har konverterat bort direktverkande el. De som konverterar bort från oljepannor är eftersläntrare, medan de som konverterar bort från el är ”tidiga anammare”. Ekonomi och driftsäkerhet var de viktigaste faktorerna när husägare skall välja mellan olika värmesystem. Olika värmesystem upplevs ha olika fördelar och det påverkar spridningsmönstret för konverteringen till nya värmesystem. Installatörer och personliga kontakter angavs vara de viktigaste källorna för information om nya värmesystem.
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| 10. |
- Gustavsson, Leif, et al.
(author)
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Swedish Homewoners´ attitude towards water-based heating systems
- 2008
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In: World Bioenergy 2008, 26-29 May, Jönköping, Sweden. - : Swedish Bioenergy Association.
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- In 2004 and 2007, we conducted questionnaire surveys of 1,500 randomly selected Swedish homeowners of detached houses to understand their attitude towards adopting an innovative heating system (IHS). The results showed that there was no substantial change in homeowners’ attitude towards IHSs. More than 80% of the respondents did not intend to install a new heating system. Economic aspects and functional reliability were the most important factors in the respondents’ choice of heating system while environmental factors were of less importance. Installers were the most frequently consulted source of information on heating systems. Respondents perceived the relative advantage of pellet boilers over oil or electricity-based heating systems, but bedrock heat pump system was ranked higher than pellet heating system in every aspect except for investment cost. Pellet heating system has advantages with respect to investment cost. District heating system was considered as most functionally reliable and automatic.
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