Adapting Household Energy Consumption: How Consumers in Germany and Sweden Managed the European Energy Crisis

Abstract: Residential energy consumption in Europe is unsustainable, relying heavily on fossil fuels and contributing to climate change. The European energy crisis, as a naturally occurring experiment, disrupted energy consumption in households due to drastically increased prices and raised public awareness while creating a unique opportunity to study the dynamics of change in household energy consumption. Employing a qualitative research approach and drawing on social practice theory, this thesis examines changes in household energy consumption through 16 semi-structured interviews with participants from a variety of households in Germany and Sweden. The findings show that consumers actively reflect on and question household practices related to energy use due to the disruption. How and when practices changed were found to vary between households largely dependent on different meanings ascribed to the practices connected to social norms and conventions that strongly impact if practices change. Households responded to increased energy prices by employing either a shifting or reducing approach to modify energy-related practices, which was further influenced by structural factors. Notably, the use of technology facilitated practice changes by enabling the reconfiguration and temporal rearrangement of activities. The thesis concludes that, although awareness of household energy consumption significantly increased due to the energy crisis, to some extent, it remains invisible in everyday life. Nevertheless, when finding other ways of fulfilling expectations of comfort and well-being, consuming less energy in households is feasible. Supported by socio-material and socio-technological arrangements, results additionally show consumers’ ability to adapt to renewable energy sources’ variability. This indicates that transitioning to more sustainable household energy consumption beyond the energy crisis is possible.