The Energy-SHIFTS Smart Consumption research agenda of 100 priority questions
The below questions represent a set of open access data from the Energy-SHIFTS project. As per open data practices, you can also view the meta-data of how they were collected.
The first question within each Theme – whilst not constructed from the other questions – was placed first due to being somewhat representative of concepts contained within that Theme.
Table 1. The 12 questions within the “Power relations and smart energy transitions” Theme
| 1. How do smart technologies (and political targets associated with their manufacture, rollout and use) intermesh with pre-existing politics and power relations across different cultures and socio-technical systems? |
| 2. In what ways do issues related to energy independence and energy security (of a given country or region) align or conflict with smart consumption ambitions? |
| 3. Which gaps exist between energy governance and digital governance systems; and how are these affecting the development of smart, low-carbon consumption? |
| 4. In what ways do different interest groups or lobbies mobilise discourses and agendas (e.g. technological promises, economic models, efforts of ‘framing’ energy issues etc.) that promote (or resist) specific smart technologies; and what are the institutional conditions supporting these discourses? |
| 5. What new routes to empowerment (e.g. democratic influence, changed property regimes etc.) do smart technologies offer; and how can we transition to a more democratic smart energy system that truly empowers citizens and communities? |
| 6. Who benefits from mass implementation of smart energy technologies; and to what extent can the benefits be shared fairly? |
| 7. What issues of equality, equity and justice arise upon study of the manufacture, supply chains and business models of smart technologies; and how can desired outcomes be achieved? |
| 8. How do smart consumption initiatives reinforce dynamics of environmental services privatisation in urban and rural areas; or conversely how do they open up options for the ‘sharing economy’? |
| 9. What are the conflicts and alliances (at multiple scales, from household, to community, to business, to political economy) that smart consumption strategies spur? |
| 10. Which are the key social issues relating to privacy and cybersecurity for people who use smart technologies; and how can this privacy/security be assured? |
| 11. How are datafication and Artificial Intelligence (e.g. deep learning, sophisticated algorithms etc.) impacting citizens’ trust in (private and public) institutions in the energy sector; and to what extent does this require new tools aimed at fostering this trust? |
| 12. What is the nature and scale of abusive use of smart technology; and what actions could be taken to reduce this? |
Table 2. The 14 questions within the “Engagement and trust in relation to smart technology roll-out” Theme
| 13. In what ways do the introduction and use of emergent smart energy technologies create new means of engagement in wider energy and climate issues; and what are the impacts of this engagement? |
| 14. How do the uses of smart technologies (and their associated socio-technical energy systems) affect relations of trust? |
| 15. What are the conditions that enable trust in complex smart socio-technical systems, especially for non-expert users? |
| 16. What are the multiple and diverse ways in which publics engage with smart technologies and smart consumption (i.e. the ecologies of public engagement); how do they relate to one another; and how can knowledge of these help inform further efforts to engage the public in energy transitions? |
| 17. How may the inclusion of the arts, creative and cultural industries, generate new pathways to enable smart communities and smart cities align with citizens’ and local businesses’ interests? |
| 18. How can the introduction of smart and digital technologies help to engage those who are currently disengaged from energy issues but willing to contribute more broadly to a sustainable future? |
| 19. How can smart technology design practices enable energy transition participation in ways beyond economic incentives; and avoiding unintended effects of economic incentives? |
| 20. In what ways are different combinations of economic and non-economic incentives effective in encouraging a socio-technical energy system that includes smart consumption? |
| 21. What are the relationships between citizens’ energy literacy (i.e. knowledge about key energy issues of relevance to everyday life) and effective public engagement in smart consumption and energy transitions? |
| 22. How can understandings of smart consumption be integrated into modern education practices? |
| 23. What is the interplay between community acceptance and market acceptance ambitions (of developers or policymakers) related to smart technologies, and the level of agency therefore afforded to users; and how can agency be maintained? |
| 24. How can diverse modes of energy related Social Sciences and Humanities, including critical perspectives on smart consumption, be brought into genuine two-way knowledge exchange within projects led by industry and innovation? |
| 25. How can Social Sciences and Humanities insights help formulate smart consumption policies, e.g. within domains such as distributional challenges, gender equality, or to stimulate companies to use energy smarter? |
| 26. What are the key opportunities for Social Sciences and Humanities methods development (e.g. social experiments, longitudinal panel data etc.) in terms of understanding smart consumption? |
Table 3. The 11 questions within the “Exclusion and unevenness in smart futures” Theme
| 27. What ethical issues do the use of smart technologies raise; and what are the implications of smart technology use for equity and just transitions? |
| 28. Which strategies are available to avoid a bias of involving only ‘green elites’ (i.e. those with the resources to participate) in smart consumption, but also ensuring the participation of people in socially vulnerable positions? |
| 29. How do smart services and their business models contribute to the additional inclusion or exclusion of certain groups (e.g. large families, older people, women, and vulnerable consumers etc.) from active participation in low-carbon energy transitions? |
| 30. How are issues of smart consumption and energy deprivation or energy poverty interconnected; and what is the potential role of smart consumption innovations in tackling these? |
| 31. What are the systemic traits underpinning digital exclusion (e.g. lack of internet access, low levels of digital literacy etc.) and therefore hampering smart consumption? |
| 32. How can smart technology initiatives engage citizens from socio-economic classes associated with higher carbon emissions, in order to lower emissions? |
| 33. Where can unevenness be identified in urban, regional and national geographies of smart consumption initiatives? |
| 34. What are the patterns of (and conditions for) smart consumption in countries (or regions) with different socio-economic development contexts and different resource availabilities? |
| 35. How can the Social Sciences and Humanities contribute to building new methods that support a more participatory, user-centred or democratic design approach for the development of smart technologies? |
| 36. How do socio-technical imaginaries, vanguard visions and expectations (of both citizens and communities) influence smart consumption futures? |
| 37. How do the use and understanding of smart technologies differ across the heterogeneity of consumers (e.g. young/ elderly, ethnic minorities, western/non-western etc.); and how can these differences inspire future developments of smart technology? |
Table 4. The 14 questions within the “Building communities for smart consumption and prosumption” Theme
| 38. How can inclusive approaches to smart consumption be furthered through citizen energy communities; and how may citizen energy communities be furthered through inclusive approaches to smart consumption? |
| 39. How can the socio-technical system of power supply move away from centralisation, to be transformed into a smarter system where energy may be co-produced and consumed as a common good (e.g. as managed by prosumer communities)? |
| 40. What are the drivers that enable certain groups of energy users to act together and develop collective solutions for smart consumption and prosumption; and what are the institutional lock-in factors obstructing this? |
| 41. What are the potential roles of prosumers in the transition towards a system with active smart users instead of passive consumers; and how can institutional conditions better enable this? |
| 42. How can we effectively design the application of peer-to-peer deliverance, as a crucial element in decentralised or distributed systems of energy from renewable sources? |
| 43. How are smart technologies (and the businesses developing them) supporting new modes of community- scale energy generation and distribution; and what potential do they have to support them further? |
| 44. How may co-production, open innovation, and citizen and community empowerment to find good local solutions (as well as lessons from Social Sciences and Humanities research in these areas) be used as key drivers towards smart and sustainable consumption? |
| 45. How have current narratives (or discourses, or visions) of smart energy systems been shaped by different historical narratives of citizen and community empowerment? |
| 46. How are smart technologies producing new ways of ‘knowing’ energy supply and demand in cities? |
| 47. How can rural and urban areas be more socially connected through smart energy consumption? |
| 48. What are the roles of different technology user groups and actors in efforts to successfully upscale from local pilots, experiments and bottom-up initiatives within the area of smart consumption? |
| 49. What is the role of the EU in promoting low carbon energy systems with smart consumption, and how can EU schemes (e.g. Community-Led Local Developments, or future instruments) be used to promote such energy systems? |
| 50. What are the roles of local government in promoting smart consumption, particularly in areas with high levels of digital exclusion? |
| 51. How can national and international smart consumption agendas better incorporate multiple and evolving community definitions of what it means for an energy system to include smartness? |
Table 5. The 18 questions within the “How smart can become part of, or disrupt, everyday life” Theme
| 52. How are smart technologies disrupting or reconfiguring well-established practices in everyday life; and how might this encourage low-carbon lifestyles? |
| 53. How will new potential roles for households, homes and workplaces in future energy systems (e.g. active, flexible, smart etc.) affect everyday practices played out within them? |
| 54. How do household social relations and dynamics impact on the use and uptake of smart technologies; conversely, what are the long-term implications of smart technology use on household dynamics? |
| 55. What are the prospects of Home Energy Management as a social practice? |
| 56. How are different working patterns changing associated energy consumption patterns; and how may this interplay with the use of smart technologies? |
| 57. How and why do the time-space patterns (e.g. rhythms, flexibility etc.) of everyday energy-consuming activities differ in respect to specific population segments and types of households; and with what implications for smart technology use? |
| 58. How can longitudinal studies of participation in smart energy technologies provide insights on how they may be ‘domesticated’ in the lives of households over time? |
| 59. How do smart technologies shape expectations of indoor comfort? |
| 60. What are the behavioural, societal or material means of achieving demand side flexibility (i.e. not price and technology, and not managed by providers or grid managers), to synchronise demand with the timing of renewable energy supply? |
| 61. What role do emotions play in energy consumption practices; and what does that mean for smart consumption? |
| 62. How and to what extent can societal level disruptions such as economic crises, political turmoil, climate change and natural catastrophes, or public health emergencies affect smart consumption ambitions and implementation? |
| 63. How can smart consumption initiatives support the resilience of cities and societies? |
| 64. What is the capacity of smart technology implementation to instigate or respond to radical, transformative changes in energy consumption behaviours across society? |
| 65. How can our histories of consumption (including e.g. histories of cultures, behaviours, social norms, education practices etc.) shed light on and inspire today’s development of smart consumption? |
| 66. How could the use of smart technologies help countries prepare for a major and potentially controversial transition to electromobility? |
| 67. How might consumers be prepared for the widespread adoption of battery technologies in a future smart, decentralised renewable energy systems? |
| 68. What is the role of smart energy technologies in enabling systemic transitions to ‘1.5 degree lifestyles’ considering entanglements with food provision, electromobility, community prosumerism, and other common goods of the ‘sharing economy’? |
| 69. To what extent does the smart consumption of energy have spill-over effects on the consumption behaviour of other domestic services, like water supply and wastewater services? |
Table 6. The 15 questions within the “Beyond smart: evaluating assumptions and alternatives” Theme
| 70. How can we measure the outcomes of smart consumption and evaluate if potential (low-carbon and social) benefits of implementing smart consumption technologies justify their use? |
| 71. How may the commercial push from smart technology interests divert attention from, or undermine, progress with low-tech energy initiatives such as insulation or active mobility programmes? |
| 72. Given that the word ‘smart’ is associated with advanced technologies, what are the low-tech and ‘stupid’ technologies (or assets) that can help us achieving emissions reduction in a more sustainable way? |
| 73. Since retrofitting of households and introducing new technologies is expensive, what potential is there for re-imagining and developing old technologies with new smart practices in order to produce smart consumption practices? |
| 74. What indirect impacts (including but not limited to increased societal reliance on Information and Communication Technologies), and rebound effects, of the use of smart technologies might contribute to increasing energy consumption? |
| 75. What are the unexpected or negative social impacts of smart consumption interventions in the home, workplace or community? |
| 76. What are the ethical and social considerations regarding the use of private data generated through delivery of smart services for provision of public goods? |
| 77. How can design be used to decouple the use of smart energy technologies, and associated automation, from alienation and deskilling? |
| 78. Given that smart energy systems are increasingly complex, impacting their resilience, when do the benefits of digitisation of energy consumption outweigh the costs associated with new complexities in the operation and architecture of smart systems? |
| 79. How can ‘smart’ be mobilised in the production of alternative futures (and alternative economic systems) that are not based on consumption or waste? |
| 80. What expectations are held of smart consumption, in terms of if and how it may contribute to human welfare and wellbeing (e.g. in the form of happiness and resilience)? |
| 81. Can smart be mobilised to impact other aspects of the human experience than consumption, e.g. creating more sustainable and liveable experiences? |
| 82. How can smart technologies enable sufficiency-based practices/activities and simple living to become (more) conceivable, enabled and satisfying, in order to realise essential carbon savings? |
| 83. What are the existing and possible interconnections between smart futures and sharing economies? |
| 84. How do discourses of smart consumption interplay with alternative discourses (e.g. around degrowth, technological sovereignty etc.)? |
Table 7. The 16 questions within the “Citizen, worker, parent: different roles involved in smart” Theme
| 85. How can future research on smart energy systems engage with broader and more diverse publics and collectives (e.g. with different aspirations, political interests, and practices), rather than only seeing people as individual consumers? |
| 86. How does the notion of ‘smart consumers’ (e.g. in EU policy discourses) change the modern understanding of citizenship? |
| 87. What are the social, institutional and economic dynamics behind the creation of today’s smart consumer; and how may this evolve in future? |
| 88. Are any types of knowledge prioritised over others (e.g. economic theory vs. practical know-how) within advocacy coalitions and policy discourses related to smart consumers |
| 89. What strategies and initiatives open pathways for smart citizenship, in ways that transgress the idea of participation in the energy system as only involving consumption? |
| 90. What are the self-conceptions of smart technology users and non-users; and how are these impacted by whether use is voluntary or mandatory? |
| 91. What are the potential roles of households and workplaces as participants in the future smart energy system? |
| 92. How could participation within and across networks of communities facilitate learning of new, smart energy consumption practices? |
| 93. To what degree will new actor groups (e.g. energy communities aggregators, etc.) provide essential flexibility to broader energy systems and energy markets? |
| 94. In what ways does gender have an effect on private households’ use of smart technologies; and how can gender perspectives be practically included in interventions and energy policy? |
| 95. Why do developers and implementers anticipate people will use smart energy technologies in a more ‘efficient’, or different, way than they do? |
| 96. From an energy planner’s perspective, what are the rationales and conditions for successfully including citizen-driven energy perspectives in smart energy systems? |
| 97. What are the barriers for network operators (e.g. legal, economic, regulatory etc.) who want to introduce smart consumption options for their customers? |
| 98. If markets are the dominant organisational form within smart consumption, what other types of organisation might be blocked out; and does this present any barriers to energy transitions? |
| 99. What are the interests and roles of global digital monopoly-like corporations (e.g. Alphabet, Amazon, etc.) for future smart consumerism as connected to e.g. ambient assisted living, smart home appliances, adaptive smart energy purchase tools, etc.? |
| 100. How is the media influencing people’s understanding of and meanings attached to new smart technologies? |