The HEEC project, “Energy Efficiency of Households in Cities: A Multi-method Analysis”, investigates energy efficiency determinants for passenger transport and energy use in households in cities.
In this project, researchers study energy use, motivations and socio-economic circumstances of more than 2000 households spread across three North-West-European countries (The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany) and two big Chinese cities (Beijing and Changchun). The data provide insights in citizens’ willingness to conserve energy and their policy sensitivities in order to anticipate possible scenarios for energy efficiency, at the individual and the neighbourhood level. These scenarios deal with both physical parameters (e.g. insulation of buildings, efficiency of systems, performances of vehicles) and behavioural parameters (e.g. management of the heating system, car sharing). We also analyse policies related to improving energy efficiency of households in order to provide policy recommendations and discuss these with policy makers.
One of the outcomes of the project is a conceptual framework that captures households’ energy use, efficiency behaviour and curtailment behaviour. In this framework, we connect internal with external factors related to households’ energy use in one framework. This combination suggests answers to the ‘what’, the ‘how’ and most importantly the ‘why’ questions about people’s energy use. Moreover, this proposed framework highlights the need to take into account the interactions of the many influencing factors involved.
The HEEC project is a collaboration between Maastricht University (ICIS) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CEEP). The project is part of the Joint Scientific Thematic Research Programme (JSTP) - Smart Energy in Smart Cities, a collaborative research programme between China and the Netherlands with the aim to promote long-term collaboration among scientists from both countries.
Véronique Vasseur, ICIS, Maastricht University