The energy cultures framework: Exploring the role of norms, practices and material culture in shaping energy behaviour in New Zealand

Abstract

The energy cultures framework was developed in 2009 to support interdisciplinary investigation into
\nenergy behaviour in New Zealand. In this paper, we discuss the framework in light of 5 years of empirical
\napplication and conceptual development. The concept of culture is helpful in seeking to better understand
\nenergy behaviour because it conveys how behaviours are embedded within the physical and social
\ncontexts of everyday life, and how they are both repetitive and heterogeneous. The framework suggests
\nthat the energy culture of a given subject (e.g. an individual, a household, a business, a sector) can be
\nstudied by examining the interrelationships between their norms, practices and material culture, and
\nhow these, in turn, are shaped by external influences. We discuss the key theoretical influences of the
\nframework, and how the core concepts of the framework have evolved as we have applied them in different
\nresearch situations. We then illustrate how we have applied the framework to a range of topics and
\nsectors, and how it has been used to support interdisciplinary research, in identifying clusters of energy
\ncultures, in examining energy cultures at different scales and in different sectors, and to inform policy
\ndevelopment.