50 G. GoGGINS ET AL.
a capital investment of the order of €35 billion over 35 years would
be required to make the existing housing stock low carbon by
2050 (SEAI 2017a). Traditionally, Ireland’s energy policy was considered the domain of (centralised) Government and utility companies, with other actors (e.g. local authorities; business) largely
sidelined, and consumer participation assuming a passive role.
However, recent shifts in the framing of the energy challenge have
positioned consumers at the forefront of Ireland’s energy transition
(Mullally et al. 2018).
The most recent government long-term energy policy White
Paper sets out a vision to 2030 where Ireland’s energy system ‘will
become more decentralised, altering many traditional assumptions
about demand and supply’, requiring ‘deep change in the mindsets
of individual consumers, businesses, agencies, and utility companies’
(DCENR 2015: 5). This outlook aligns with the prevailing narrative in European energy policy that a transition to a low-carbon society requires integrated action from a broad range of actors, including
householders (Genus et al. 2018). The central role of householders
is indirectly elaborated in the White Paper, insofar as it proposes that
citizens move from being ‘passive consumers’ to ‘active citizens’, and
that every citizen has a role to play in the energy transition. Although
the paper neglects to define what is understood by ‘active citizen’, it
does state that consumer choice—in the home, in the community, at
work and when travelling—is perceived as an important aspect of the
energy citizen’s role and responsibilities (DCENR 2015). Such a perspective indicates an individualised approach to how energy demand
is problematised, with an implied duty upon consumers to make the
‘better’ energy choices (Genus et al. 2018). While this perspective
might evoke traditional problem framings prevalent in EU energy policy around energy efficiency, rational choice and behaviour change,
the paper also proposes that ‘landowners, neighbours and communities will be able to engage with infrastructure providers and local
government to ensure acceptable outcomes for all energy users’ and
become more engaged in the energy landscape in Ireland (DCENR
2015: 40). Although it is not made explicitly clear how this inherently
complex social and technical change might come about, this collective approach acknowledges interactions between various actors as key
a capital investment of the order of €35 billion over 35 years would
be required to make the existing housing stock low carbon by
2050 (SEAI 2017a). Traditionally, Ireland’s energy policy was considered the domain of (centralised) Government and utility companies, with other actors (e.g. local authorities; business) largely
sidelined, and consumer participation assuming a passive role.
However, recent shifts in the framing of the energy challenge have
positioned consumers at the forefront of Ireland’s energy transition
(Mullally et al. 2018).
The most recent government long-term energy policy White
Paper sets out a vision to 2030 where Ireland’s energy system ‘will
become more decentralised, altering many traditional assumptions
about demand and supply’, requiring ‘deep change in the mindsets
of individual consumers, businesses, agencies, and utility companies’
(DCENR 2015: 5). This outlook aligns with the prevailing narrative in European energy policy that a transition to a low-carbon society requires integrated action from a broad range of actors, including
householders (Genus et al. 2018). The central role of householders
is indirectly elaborated in the White Paper, insofar as it proposes that
citizens move from being ‘passive consumers’ to ‘active citizens’, and
that every citizen has a role to play in the energy transition. Although
the paper neglects to define what is understood by ‘active citizen’, it
does state that consumer choice—in the home, in the community, at
work and when travelling—is perceived as an important aspect of the
energy citizen’s role and responsibilities (DCENR 2015). Such a perspective indicates an individualised approach to how energy demand
is problematised, with an implied duty upon consumers to make the
‘better’ energy choices (Genus et al. 2018). While this perspective
might evoke traditional problem framings prevalent in EU energy policy around energy efficiency, rational choice and behaviour change,
the paper also proposes that ‘landowners, neighbours and communities will be able to engage with infrastructure providers and local
government to ensure acceptable outcomes for all energy users’ and
become more engaged in the energy landscape in Ireland (DCENR
2015: 40). Although it is not made explicitly clear how this inherently
complex social and technical change might come about, this collective approach acknowledges interactions between various actors as key