Implications of Social Practice Theory for Sustainable Design

Sustainable design faces challenges at a scale and level of complexity that are ill at ease with design’s mainstream focus on products and users. Recently, social practice theory has been suggested as a promising theoretical framework to inform new ways of designing. In social practice theory, practices – socially shared entities such as...

The use of apps to promote energy saving: A study of smart meter–related feedback in the Netherlands

Feedback systems with direct feedback have shown to be effective in stimulating households to change their energy consumption levels. This research is one of the first to explore the use of apps to influence household energy use. Compared to dedicated in-home displays, smartphone/tablet apps provide a low-cost and simple design solution for...

An agent-based exploration of complex heat transitions in the Netherlands

In the Netherlands, a complex heat transition is taking place. Currently, the country's built environment largely relies on natural gas for heating. By 2050, the housing sector should, in principle, be free of this fuel. Changes in laws, policies, regulations, and technical solutions to achieve this goal will be challenging. Their implementation...

How a changing climate is changing behavior: household adaptation to floods

Floods appear in many of the world's oldest stories (i.e. Noah and the Arc in the Abrahamic religions, Manu in Hinduism, and the Gun-Yu myth in Chinese mythology). When observed historically, they often have an element of mysticism about them, symbolizing eradication and rebirth. In the present, however, there is little that is mystical about...