10 C. JENSEN ET AL.
organisation within which the strategies and resulting solutions unfold.
Rebound effects and other unintended consequences often happen as a
result of this type of efficiency strategies. This chapter introduces alternative problem framings that may offer a way to mitigate rebound effects
by addressing and challenging a wider set of socio-material, cultural and
institutional aspects of energy demand.
Keywords Energy demand · Problem framings · Energy policy ·
Sustainable consumption · Transformation
introDuCtion
over the past few decades, consumer-oriented environmental policies
have proliferated as political and public interest and concern for environmental issues have increased significantly (Christensen et al. 2007).
As a result, it is not uncommon that citizens as consumers are assigned
responsibility for sustainable development. This in itself may not be a
problem, but it is important to highlight how responsibility is assigned,
in what way, and what it means for the type of development that emerges
and is emphasised as a result. As sustainable consumption policies often
rely on ecological modernisation rationality, these policies often centre
on making current consumption patterns more sustainable in such a
way that new business opportunities can emerge and ‘quality’ of life is
not challenged (Sedlacko et al. 2014). As a result energy policies tend
to focus on making existing behaviours more sustainable; a focus that
often ends up abstracting efficiency strategies from the social organisation within which the strategies and resulting solutions unfold (Labanca
and Bertoldi 2018).
In this chapter, we open with a discussion of the type of common
energy problem framings that appear embedded in most consumeroriented (sustainable) energy policies, and what these problem framings
imply for the type of results obtained. We then discuss alternative energy
problem framings that may be beneficial to implement in consumeroriented (sustainable) energy policies. Approaches for example that might
mitigate potential rebound effects or other unintended consequences
that often are the result of the dominant types of efficiency strategies.
We facilitate this discussion by introducing the ENERGISE Problem
organisation within which the strategies and resulting solutions unfold.
Rebound effects and other unintended consequences often happen as a
result of this type of efficiency strategies. This chapter introduces alternative problem framings that may offer a way to mitigate rebound effects
by addressing and challenging a wider set of socio-material, cultural and
institutional aspects of energy demand.
Keywords Energy demand · Problem framings · Energy policy ·
Sustainable consumption · Transformation
introDuCtion
over the past few decades, consumer-oriented environmental policies
have proliferated as political and public interest and concern for environmental issues have increased significantly (Christensen et al. 2007).
As a result, it is not uncommon that citizens as consumers are assigned
responsibility for sustainable development. This in itself may not be a
problem, but it is important to highlight how responsibility is assigned,
in what way, and what it means for the type of development that emerges
and is emphasised as a result. As sustainable consumption policies often
rely on ecological modernisation rationality, these policies often centre
on making current consumption patterns more sustainable in such a
way that new business opportunities can emerge and ‘quality’ of life is
not challenged (Sedlacko et al. 2014). As a result energy policies tend
to focus on making existing behaviours more sustainable; a focus that
often ends up abstracting efficiency strategies from the social organisation within which the strategies and resulting solutions unfold (Labanca
and Bertoldi 2018).
In this chapter, we open with a discussion of the type of common
energy problem framings that appear embedded in most consumeroriented (sustainable) energy policies, and what these problem framings
imply for the type of results obtained. We then discuss alternative energy
problem framings that may be beneficial to implement in consumeroriented (sustainable) energy policies. Approaches for example that might
mitigate potential rebound effects or other unintended consequences
that often are the result of the dominant types of efficiency strategies.
We facilitate this discussion by introducing the ENERGISE Problem