Households can provide demand-side flexibility by changing their consumption behaviour and shifting energy-intensive activities - such as vacuuming, cooking or charging electric cars - to off-peak hours. Such behaviour-based demand response management could balance out consumption peaks without the need for costly smart home devices or automation technologies. However, existing research has struggled to motivate consumers to adapt their behaviour or maintain behaviour change over extended periods of time. This field study explored a scalable and cost-effective behavioural demand response tool and investigated its short-and long-term impacts on average and peak hour electricity consumption under realistic conditions: A smartphone app provided users with social comparison feedback on their electricity consumption and invited them to participate in "pause hours" by avoiding energy-intensive activities during peak hours. To appeal even to hard-to-reach energy users and elicit longer-term engagement, the app also contained a neighbourhood newsfeed and was framed as a local social network. In a 15-month trial with 550 student apartments in Sweden, more than half of the residents voluntarily installed the app, many app users stayed engaged over an extended period of time and pause hour participants achieved substantial peak-load consumption reductions of 46% on average. These results indicate that smartphone apps can achieve peak load consumption reduction and long-term engagement, although they may be particularly attractive to already energy efficient households. Avenues for future research are discussed.

Over 60% of global greenhouse gas emissions derive from household consumption patterns. To reach the 1.5-degree target set in the Paris Agreement, new interventions to influence household behaviours are needed. This thesis examined two areas, household electricity consumption and waste sorting, where behaviour plays a large role. To change behaviour, households need information and feedback regarding their consumption, but in an era of information overload it is difficult to reach individuals. This thesis explored whether households can be better reached by a service that creates value for its users, so that feedback is noticed and acted upon over a sustained period. Specific objectives were to: (1) identify needs of citizens that could be addressed with a local digital service and develop such a service; (2) design and develop elements of the service to promote selected sustainable behaviours affecting household electricity consumption and household waste sorting; and (3) evaluate whether these elements can improve awareness of sustainability matters and promote pro-environmental behaviour among residents.

To fulfil objective (1), a local social network for neighbourhoods was designed and developed. A phone survey in Stockholm Royal Seaport confirmed low neighbour interaction, while focus group interviews in Hammarby Sjöstad identified specific local information and communication needs. To fulfil objective (2), a subset of design principles identified from the literature was used to design feedback for the local social network. The feedback was developed into a prototype through workshop and focus group discussions. To fulfil objective (3), residents were provided with feedback and interventions in two pilot studies in Stockholm, a 15-month study on electricity consumption involving 281 students at KTH and a 12-month study on waste sorting involving 61 households in Stockholm Royal Seaport having an automatic waste collection system. The study on electricity showed a 3.3 %-unit peak-hour reduction for the intervention group and 46 %-unit reduction for saving participants. Average participation in peak load reduction was 3 months, but some stayed for almost the entire period, indicating potential for long-term engagement. Incentives were not necessary, but improved outcomes. The waste study found increased plastic sorting among app users, but also challenges in data collection and analysis. Overall, the value-creating approach can be useful if user needs are met correctly, and reaches a larger user group with feedback than conventional energy apps.

Över 60 % av de globala utsläppen av växthusgaser härrör från hushållens konsumtionsmönster. För att nå det 1,5-gradersmål som sattes upp i Parisavtalet behövs nya insatser som kan påverka hushållens beteenden. Denna avhandling undersökte två områden där beteende spelar en stor roll: hushållens elförbrukning och sopsortering. För att få till en beteendeförändring behöver hushållen information och återkoppling om sin konsumtion, men denna drunknar i dagens informationsbrus vilket gör det svårt att nå de boende. Denna avhandling utforskade hur medborgare kan ges återkoppling via en tjänst som dessutom skapar värde för de boende, detta för att återkopplingen ska uppmärksammas och ageras på under en längre tid. Syftet med avhandlingen var att: 1) identifiera behov hos medborgare som skulle kunna tillgodoses med en lokal digital tjänst och utveckla en sådan tjänst, 2) designa/utveckla element i tjänsten som främjar utvalda hållbara beteenden gällande hushållens elförbrukning och hushållsavfallssortering; och 3) utvärdera om dessa element kan öka medvetenheten kring hållbarhetsfrågor och leda till ett hållbarare beteende bland invånarna.

För mål 1) föreslogs och utvecklades ett lokalt socialt nätverk för stadsdelar. En telefonundersökning i Norra Djurgårdsstaden i Stockholm bekräftade en låg interaktion bland grannar, medan fokusgruppsintervjuer i Hammarby Sjöstad i Stockholm identifierade specifika lokala informations- och kommunikationsbehov. För mål 2) användes utvalda designprinciper från litteraturen till att bygga en designprototyp för återkoppling som utvärderades med workshops och fokusgrupper och utvecklades därefter till en fungerande prototyp. För mål 3) fick boende återkoppling och interventioner i två pilotstudier i Stockholm: en 15-månaders studie om elförbrukning med 281 studenter på KTH, och en 1-årig studie om sopsortering med 61 hushåll i Norra Djurgårdsstaden som har ett sopsugssystem. Elpiloten visade en topplastsminskning på 3,1 procentenheter för hela interventionsgruppen och 46 procentenheter för de deltagare som sparade el. Det genomsnittliga deltagandet för topplastsminskningen var 3 månader, men de mest motiverade personerna deltog under nästan hela experimentperioden vilket visade en potential för långsiktigt användarengagemang. Incitament var inte nödvändiga men förbättrade resultaten. Avfallspiloten visade på en ökad sortering av plast för appanvändare men belyste även utmaningar gällande datainsamling och - analys. Fler studier behövs för att undersöka effektiviteten av återkopplingen. Det värdeskapande tillvägagångssättet kan vara användbart om rätt behov tillgodoses och kan därmed göra hållbarhetsåterkoppling tillgänglig för en större användargrupp än exempelvis vanligt förekommande energiappar.

Households can provide demand-side flexibility by changing their consumption behaviour and shifting energy-intensive activities – such as vacuuming, cooking or charging electric cars – to off-peak hours. Such behaviour-based demand response management could balance out consumption peaks without the need for costly smart home devices or automation technologies. However, existing research has struggled to motivate consumers to adapt their behaviour or maintain behaviour change over extended periods of time. This field study explored a scalable and cost-effective behavioural demand response tool and investigated its short- and long-term impacts on average and peak hour electricity consumption under realistic conditions: A smartphone app provided users with social comparison feedback on their electricity consumption and invited them to participate in “pause hours” by avoiding energy- intensive activities during peak hours. To appeal even to hard-to-reach energy users and elicit longer-term engagement, the app also contained a neighbourhood newsfeed and was framed as a local social network. In a 15-month trial with 550 student apartments in Sweden, more than half of the residents voluntarily installed the app, many app users stayed engaged over an extended period of time and pause hour participants achieved substantial peak-load consumption reductions of 46% on average. These results indicate that smartphone apps can achieve peak load consumption reduction and long-term engagement, although they may be particularly attractive to already energy efficient households. Avenues for future research are discussed.

In order to reach the current climate goals, energy consumption needs to decrease in all sectors, including households, which produce 20% of the European emissions. However, it is difficult to increase residents’ engagement in their household electricity consumption as it is an ‘invisible’ form of energy, the monetary incentives are often too small and environmental incentives are not very effective. Building on the idea that an engagement mechanism should be based on user needs, and recent research showing that social influence can be an effective way to affect consumption behaviour, this thesis examines the potential of a neighbourhood-based digital local social network providing feedback on household electricity consumption as an engagement solution. By helping neighbours to know each other better, such a network could meet the basic human need of belonging to a group, while also taking advantage of the social influence between neighbours to increase the effectiveness of the energy feedback provided.

This thesis sought to: 1) Identify needs of residents that could be served by a local social network and explore whether such a network could provide a beneficial context for energy feedback; 2) identify and evaluate a set of design principles for energy feedback and use them to propose a prototype feedback design suitable for use in a local social network; and 3) design and implement a baseline study for measuring changes in aspects of social and environmental sustainability in a neighbourhood that introduction of a local social network can achieve, such as social cohesion, trust, safety, and energy attitudes and behaviour.

In order to achieve these objectives, the Research Through Design methodology was used. This resulted in mixed methods research using quantitative (household survey) and qualitative (focus group interviews, stakeholder consultation workshop) methods. The research was conducted in two eco-districts in Stockholm, Sweden: Hammarby Sjöstad and Stockholm Royal Seaport.

Regarding the first objective, results from the household survey indicated a need for increased interaction between neighbours in Stockholm Royal Seaport, while the focus group discussions revealed local communication needs that a local social network could meet. However, the possibility to use social influence between neighbours in increasing the intention to save energy was shown to be rather weak, possibly because of the current low level of connection between neighbours. Regarding the second objective, a set of design principles was identified using a literature study. They were used to create a design prototype of energy feedback that was presented to potential end-users in a stakeholder consultation workshop and then refined using suggestions given in the workshop. The workshop indicated support for many of the design principles as they were indirectly mentioned in the discussions. The design principle of fair feedback was further explored, suggesting use of typical household consumption as part of a fair comparison metric and when setting reduction goals.

Regarding the third objective, an evaluation method with baseline survey and follow-up surveys was suggested. The household survey served as a baseline for measuring social and environmental sustainability aspects in a neighbourhood. Further research is needed on the effectiveness of a local social network as an engagement mechanism for energy feedback.

För att nå de nuvarande klimatmålen måste energiförbrukningen minska i alla sektorer, även för hushåll som står för 20% av de europeiska utsläppen. Det är dock svårt att öka medborgarnas engagemang kring förbrukningen av hushållsel då el är en "osynlig" energiform, de monetära incitamenten ofta är ofta för små och miljöincitament inte är särskilt effektiva. Baserat på idén att en engagemangsmekanism bör baseras på användarbehov samt ny forskning som visat att socialt inflytande kan vara ett effektivt sätt att påverka konsumtionsbeteendet, undersöker denna avhandling potentialen i ett grannskapsbaserat digitalt lokalt socialt nätverk som tillhandahåller feedback på hushållens elförbrukning som en engagemangslösning. Genom att hjälpa grannar att lära känna varandra bättre kan ett sådant nätverk uppfylla det grundläggande mänskliga behovet av att tillhöra en grupp, samtidigt som det sociala inflytandet mellan grannar kan utnyttjas för att öka effektiviteten hos den tillhandahållna energiåterkopplingen.

Denna avhandling hade tre mål: 1) Identifiera behov hos boende som kan tillgodoses av ett lokalt socialt nätverk samt undersöka huruvida ett sådant nätverk skulle kunna tillhandahålla en bra kontext för energiåterkoppling, 2) identifiera och utvärdera en uppsättning designprinciper för energiåterkoppling, och använda principerna för att föreslå en prototypdesign för energiåterkoppling lämplig för användning i ett lokalt socialt nätverk och 3) utforma och genomföraen baseline-studie för att mäta förändringar i aspekter av social och miljömässig hållbarhet i ett grannskap skulle kunna främjas av införandet av ett lokalt socialt nätverk, exempelvis social sammanhållning, tillit, säkerhet samt energiattityder och beteende.

För att uppnå dessa mål användes Research Through Design-metodiken, vilket i sin tur resulterade i en s.k. “mixed methods”-forskningsmetodik där både kvantitativa (hushållsundersökning) och kvalitativa (fokusgruppintervjuer, workshop) metoder användes. Forskningen genomfördes i två distrikt med miljöprofil i Stockholm: Hammarby Sjöstad och Norra Djurgårdsstaden.

Beträffande det första målet indikerade hushållsundersökningen ett behov av ett ökat samspel mellan grannarna i Norra Djurgårdsstaden. Fokusgruppdiskussionerna avslöjade lokala kommunikationsbehov som ett lokalt socialt nätverk skulle kunna möta. Möjligheten att använda socialt viiinflytande mellan grannar för att öka intentionen att spara energi visade sig dock vara ganska liten, möjligen på grund av den nuvarande låga nivån av sammanhållning mellan grannarna. Beträffande det andra målet identifierades en uppsättning designprinciper med hjälp av en litteraturstudie. Dessa användes för att skapa en designprototyp på energiåterkoppling som presenterades till potentiella slutanvändare under en workshop. Prototypen förbättrades sedan med hjälp av de förslag som gavs i workshopen. Workshopen gav också stöd åt många av designprinciperna som indirekt nämndes under diskussionerna. Designprincipen för rättvis återkoppling undersöktes ytterligare vilket ledde till ett förslag om att använda typisk hushållskonsumtion som en del av en rättvis jämförelseindikator och vid fastställning av energisparmål.

Beträffande det tredje målet föreslogs en utvärderingsmetod baserat på en baseline-studie och uppföljande studier. Hushållsundersökningen fungerade som en utgångspunkt för mätning av sociala och miljömässiga hållbarhetsaspekter i ett grannskap. Ytterligare forskning föreslogs för att visa på effektiviteten hos ett lokalt socialt nätverk som en engagemangsmekanism för energiåterkoppling.

Engaged households are needed for the future ‘smart grids’ to function, but it is difficult to engage residents in their household electricity consumption. Building on earlier research suggesting that a local social network could provide a suitable context for energy feedback, this paper examines how feedback presented in a social network should be designed in order to be better understood by the residents and encourage long-term engagement. A review of the literature on design principles and cases where they had been implemented identified 24 principles. A prototype feedback design adapted for a local social network was made, based on design principles deemed suitable for the screens designed. End-user feedback on the prototype was collected through a stakeholder consultation workshop. In the workshop dis- cussions, 17 identified principles were mentioned and there was support for 15 of these, one was both supported and contested and two were contested. Based on comments and suggestions from end-users, a revised version of the feedback prototype was made for implementation in a pilot study in Sweden and Portugal.

Long-term engagement of residents is crucial for demand response management, and thus grid stability in energy systems, but current approaches often fail to maintain or even achieve the necessary changes in consumer behaviour. Thus future customer engagement approaches will have to relate more strongly to customer needs in order to achieve long-term engagement. This study presents an approach based on a central need identified in psychological research, namely the need to belong to a group. A mixed methods approach was used to examine how an energy feedback approach that connects to this need could be designed. First, based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour and Social Identity Theory, a survey was conducted to examine the influence of e.g. norms held by the local social group of neighbours on energy behaviour. In contrast to previous studies on the influence of social groups on sustainable behaviour, no significant influence was found. However, other findings indicated that this was due to the low level of group identity, leading to the assumption that the need for social belonging was not fulfilled in the survey group. Second, focus group discussions were conducted to test this assumption in more detail. Findings from the focus groups confirm the assumption and reveal detailed insights on residential needs for stronger connections between neighbours. We conclude that a local social network could be a suitable solution to the need for local social belonging and, while also providing a context for energy feedback. Thus, implementing a local social network could lead to both persistently engaging energy feedback and also improve human well-being.

Cites have been identified as one key arena to meet future sustainability challenges. However, if cites are to be part of the transition it must become possible to confirm results of ongoing actions. By the introduction information and communication technologies, it has become easier to collect performance parameters from the built environment, thereby enable more detailed evaluation. The aim of this paper is therefore to examine the potential and limitation of using dynamic and high resolution meter data for evaluation of energy consumption in buildings and households. The novelty of this approach is that dynamic and high resolution meter data can increase the level of detail in evaluation results and ease detection of deviations in the structures performance. However, most benefits are found from the occupant perspective, as more detailed evaluation information enable better inclusion of this stakeholder group. Furthermore this study has shown that the commonly used indicator energy use per heated floor area is an insufficient communication tool when taking holistic approach to building energy evaluation. Limitation to full use of dynamic and high resolution meter data have been identified to data collection and management, preservation of personal integrity and incentives to react on the given evaluation information.

Improving households’ waste and recycling behavior is essential for achieving sustainable production patterns. However, the potential for sustainable waste service offerings remains untapped as existing research largely relies on estimated data, short study periods, and unscalable interventions. We conducted a longitudinal field study to investigate the influence of a scalable, app-based behavioral intervention building on social norms on households’ waste and recycling behavior in a multi- residential setting. Using ‘smart’ waste chutes equipped with novel technology to collect objective data for municipal waste (MMW), plastic waste (PW) and newspaper waste (NPW) of 153 households over the course of 12 months, we find that while MMW levels remain stable and do not differ between households that did (vs. did not) install the waste-oriented smartphone app, recycling rates of PW and NPW increased for all households as a function of the intervention. Moreover, app users threw significantly more PW than households not using the app after but not before the intervention. Together, our results suggest that digital behavioral interventions based on novel data through ‘smart’ technologies can significantly improve households’ waste and recycling behavior, thereby presenting a pathway for increasing the service character of waste disposal and management that enables customers’ sustainability practices.