Event Reports

Dragon breath and snow melt: Sensory experience, know-how and keeping homes warm. Sarah Royston

Posted on January 22, 2014

What does it mean to know about energy?  Since energy is invisible various devices are required to reveal it and make it knowable (meters; or thermometers to measure the effect of energy consumption for temperature).  Different issues arise if we switch focus and ask about the kind of knowing involved in doing things that use energy (operating central heating, collecting and burning wood,…

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How can the UK afford an energy system? Mike Colechin

Posted on January 13, 2014

Mike presented to our largest audience yet, with more watching the live stream online. He took on big questions about the future of the UK energy system, focused in particular on questions of affordability and the need to reconcile these somehow with both sustainability and energy security (the energy policy ‘trilemma’).  (more…)

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Installer businesses and renewable energy uptake in homes. Richard Hanna

Posted on December 18, 2013

Richard talked about his PhD research into the world of small businesses involved in installing solar panels, heat pumps and other forms of microgeneration.  We learned about rapid developments in the installer world: the crazy rush up to the point when the feed in tariff changed, and the ebb and flow of contractors from plumbing and electrical work into, and then back out of the more…

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Car dependence: Micro-, macro- and meso-approaches to the study of social barriers to sustainable transport. Giulio Mattioli

Posted on November 20, 2013

Giulio set out what might be thought of as an ‘anatomy’ of car dependence, distinguishing between representations of car dependence as a characteristic of people, places or practices. He went into detail, thinking about the forms of disadvantage that might be involved, depending on the specific interaction between people and places (who has a car, how much does having a car matter, where…

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Home heating: Technologies, practices and prospects. Matt Lipson

Posted on October 21, 2013

Home heating accounts for a significant proportion of energy use in the UK. In this talk, Matt discussed options and possibilities for home heating, now and in the future.

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