---

Table of contents

INTRODUCTION [Gary Goggins and Frances Fahy, NUIG]
GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE ENERGISE LIVING LABS METHODOLOGY [Senja Laakso and Eva Heiskanen, University of Helsinki]
THE STEP BY STEP IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ENERGISE LIVING LABS [Veronique Vasseur, Maastricht University and Senja Laakso, University of Helsinki]
IMPLEMENTING THE ENERGISE LIVING LABS IN 8 COUNTRIES
  DENMARK [Charlotte Jensen and Freja Friis, Aalborg University]
  FINLAND [Eva Heiskanen and Senja Laakso, University of Helsinki]
  GERMANY [Eoin Grealis, Ludwig-Maximilians University]
  HUNGARY [Edina Vadovics and Kristóf Vadovics, GreenDependent Institute]
  IRELAND [Eimear Heaslip, National University of Ireland, Galway]
  NETHERLANDS [Veronique Vasseur, Maastricht University]
  UNITED KINGDOM [Audley Genus and Marfuga Iskandarova, Kingston University]
  SWITZERLAND [Marlyne Sahakian and Laurence Godin, University of Geneva]
WHAT DID THE ENERGISE TEAM LEARN FROM IMPLEMENTING THE LIVING LABS? [Edina Vadovics, GreenDependent Institute, Eeva-Lotta Apajalahti, Senja Laakso, Eva Heiskanen, University of Helsinki]
REFLECTIONS ON IMPLEMENTING THE ENERGISE LIVING LABS IN BULGARIA AND SLOVENIA [Marko Hajdinjak, ARC Fund; Tomislav Tkalec, Focus Association for Sustainable Development]
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS: WHY IS IT USEFUL TO ORGANISE PRACTICE-BASED LIVING LABS? [Edina Vadovics, GreenDependent Institute]
REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING

---

Introduction

ENERGISE is concerned with developing a greater understanding of household energy use as socially embedded, with a view to achieving overall reductions. Energy use is entwined in our everyday lives and in our daily activities. We are constantly using energy - to light and heat our homes, to wash, to store food and cook meals, to power our phones, televisions and other appliances, and so on. Yet most people rarely consider their energy use beyond any superficial level. Much of our energy use is tied up in routinised activities, which we have become accustomed to facilitating with energy on demand. We flick a switch without a second thought, knowing that the light or the radio will turn on. We take a shower, confident that hot water will be readily available. Our heating system might switch on automatically, without any personal intervention required. On one level the problem may seem straightforward - by adopting more sustainable practices, we can reduce our energy use and related carbon emissions. But once we scratch below the surface, we quickly discover that practices are inherently complex, deep-rooted, culturally engrained, and difficult to change.

ENERGISE uses cutting-edge social scientific methods and techniques to help us understand how and in what way people use energy, and to what effect. To do this, we adopted a 'Living Lab' approach involving over 300 households across 8 European countries. This involved working with participants in their own homes with the aim of directly observing existing practices surrounding household energy use and systematically record efforts to adopt more sustainable practices. This booklet provides details on the design and implementation of ENERGISE Living Labs. We discuss lessons learned and reflect on the usefulness of our methodology and how this might be improved in future efforts. The process has been extremely insightful, not only for our participants and project partners, but also for us as researchers. We hope that you also find the material useful and are prompted to learn more about ENERGISE and our methodologies and find inspiration to try novel approaches in other settings.

Best wishes: The Energise Team

---