Implications of declining household sizes and expectations of home comfort for domestic energy demand

Ellsworth-Krebs, K. (2019) Implications of declining household sizes and expectations of home comfort for domestic energy demand. Nature Energy, 5 (2020). pp. 20-25. ISSN 2058-7546 (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-019-0512-1)

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Abstract

Techno-economic approaches largely avoid delineating necessary energy uses or questioning how excessive lifestyle expectations may curtail attempts to achieve ambitious climate change targets. In this Perspective, I present data suggesting a general trend of increasing domestic floor area per capita globally and argue that this ought to be a key focus in future energy research, considering that house size is the largest determinant of domestic energy consumption. Particular attention should be directed at the confluence of factors that influence floor area per capita and questions of lifestyle expectations, energy sufficiency and invisible energy policies that have enabled the rise in floor area per capita both deliberately and inadvertently. Overall, this elucidates why energy research must consider lifestyle expectations and demographic trends that are generally seen as outside the remit of energy policy.

ORCID iDs

Ellsworth-Krebs, K. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3098-1498;
  • Item type:Article
    ID code:84504
    Dates:
    Date
    Event
    16 December 2019
    Published
    6 November 2019
    Accepted
    Notes:Ellsworth-Krebs, K. Implications of declining household sizes and expectations of home comfort for domestic energy demand. Nat Energy 5, 20–25 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-019-0512-1
    Subjects:Social Sciences
    Department:Faculty of Engineering > Design, Manufacture and Engineering Management
    Depositing user: Pure Administrator
    Date deposited:02 Mar 2023 11:45
    Last modified:11 Nov 2024 13:46
    URI:https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/84504
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