Hi all,
We (The Natural Edge Project) are conducting an investigation into household energy efficiency in Townsville, in northern Queensland, Australia, as part of the Townsville City Council's 'Citisolar: Community Capacity Building Programme'. We've finished an extensive list of potential behaviours that could be undertaken by households to reduce their energy consumption in the home, based largely on Australian literature, however with some international documents as well. If there are any key resources or documents which anyone is aware of, we would appreciate any input so that we can be certain we've covered off on all the key aspects. Also, for the coming components of the CBSM programme, if there are resources, case studies or investigations into barriers to behavioural change, specific attitudes, successful programmes or any other similar literature related to energy efficiency in the home, we would love to hear about them.
Many thanks,
Angie Reeve
Research Assistant
The Natural Edge Project
www..naturaledgeproject.net
Energy Efficiency Solutions in the Home
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Hi Angie:
While our home energy efficiency issues in the Canadian context may be quite different from your situation down there, you may want to peruse the information available for home owners on the Green Communities Canada website (http://egh.gca.ca/index.php?en_home). GCC is a network of community-based organizations, many of which have signed on to deliver government energy efficiency programs to homeowners across Canada. The site links to the main efficiency programs from the Canadian government, as well as to the individual members of GCC, which offer various "tip" information to their respective clients and communities. It is my view as an energy advisor that we have yet in Canada to move much beyond distributing the "canned" information that has been pulled together from our government agencies as an "official" response to mushrooming concerns and problems with home energy consumption. While much of the information is very good, some of it is less than practical. My sense is that as individuals increasingly have to come to grips with their own energy budget, more localized, and more "necessity-as-the-mother-of-invention" type practices will emerge and circulate. In that regard, I wonder if there are not heaps of tips to be salvaged from our grand parents (maybe even great grandparents) generations. I think it is also worth considering that when we are talking about tips and solutions for home energy efficiency, we are into a "knowledge" intensive subject rather than just simple "information". We can think of knowledge as information with "experience" applied to it. Compared to information, knowledge is more of challenge to capture, record, share, disseminate, and generally, get to the people who need it at the appropriate time. Thus, it is important to look at this as a knowledge management project, albeit, at the grassroots levels where high tech systems are not likely practical. Can you share your research and conclusions when complete?
Cheers,
NEIL CHURA,