Following the deployment of the ‘energy use calendar’ in the field, we have started to receive the completed ones back from the households participating in the study.
It has been most encouraging to see that the ‘energy use calendars’ have been completed in a very detailed way and all tasks and challenges (included within the coloured envelopes) have been fully accomplished. Participants used the ‘energy use calendars’ for a two-week period.
Initial participant feedback revealed that the ‘energy use calendar’ way of gathering data was most fun and useful at the same time. People participating at the study indicated that on one hand it was very enjoyable using it to record their daily energy use and on the other hand it helped them to realise and reflect on where energy is most consumed in their homes and what were the most popular household practices. For instance whether they spend too much time on telly or little time on cooking, etc.
As we receive more ‘energy use calendars’ we start to analyse the data and we can see very exciting research themes and findings arising related to home energy use and household practices.
The ‘energy use calendars’ reveal a wide variation across different age groups and demographics in terms of types of appliances used and length of usage across the weeks. The calendars also reveal in depth, different emotional motivations and perceptions of each participants energy use in their home through playful activities, such as writing “a short story about the day in the life of your favourite appliance”.
Emmanuel Tsekleves