Practicesenergy
Practicesenergy is a term used in energy studies to describe the energy associated with everyday social practices. It encompasses the energy automatically consumed as part of routine activities (such as cooking, commuting, and heating) as well as the energy required to sustain the practices themselves, including the infrastructure, appliances, and buildings that support them. The concept arises from efforts to integrate practice-based theory with energy demand analysis, highlighting that energy use is distributed across social practices and material arrangements rather than arising solely from individual choices.
Rooted in social practice theory, practicesenergy views energy not only as a commodity but as linked to
Measurement approaches combine qualitative and quantitative methods. Ethnographic fieldwork and energy diaries capture how practices unfold
Applications focus on designing interventions that modify practices and the systems surrounding them rather than solely
Examples commonly examined include meal preparation practices, heating and cooling routines, and commuting patterns. Critics caution
See also: energy efficiency, energy sociology, social practice theory, and scholars associated with the field.