TY - JOUR A1 - Lorek, Sylvia A1 - Spangenberg, Joachim T1 - Sustainable Consumption within a sustainable economy - beyond green growth and green economies JF - Journal of Cleaner Production Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:hbz:836-opus-61544 VL - 63 SP - 33 EP - 44 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Trotta, Gianluca A1 - Spangenberg, Joachim A1 - Lorek, Sylvia T1 - Energy efficiency in the residential sector: identification of promising policy instruments and private initiatives among selected European countries JF - Energy Efficiency N2 - Improving residential energy efficiency is widely recognized as one of the best strategies for reducing energy demand, combating climate change and increasing security of energy supply. However, progress has been slow to date due to a number of market and behavioural barriers that have not been adequately addressed by energy efficiency policies and programmes. This study is based on updated findings of the European Futures for Energy Efficiency Project that responds to the EU Horizon 2020 Work Programme 2014-15 theme 'Secure, clean and efficient energy'. This article draws on five case studies from selected European countries - Finland, Italy, Hungary, Spain, and the UK - and evaluates recent energy efficiency developments in terms of indicators, private initiatives, and policy measures in the residential sector. Our analysis shows that the UK government has implemented a better range of policies, coupled with initiatives from the private sector, aimed at improving energy efficiency. However, its existing conditions appear to be more problematic than the other countries. On the other hand, the lack of effective and targeted policies in Finland resulted in increased energy consumption, while in Hungary, Spain and Italy some interesting initiatives, especially in terms of financial and fiscal incentives, have been found. KW - energy efficiency policy KW - residential sector KW - European Union KW - NEEAPs KW - ESCOs Y1 - 2018 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:hbz:836-opus-104617 UR - https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12053-018-9739-0 VL - December 2018, vol. 11 IS - 8 SP - 2111 EP - 2135 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lorek, Sylvia A1 - Spangenberg, Joachim T1 - Energy sufficiency through social innovation in housing JF - Energy Policy N2 - Experience shows that energy savings through energy efficiency measures are partly compensated by income growth, and partly by rebound effects. Therefore to be effective, efficiency measures have to be embedded in a concept of sufficiency which strives for limits and absolute reduction of energy consumption. While the sufficiency concept is not new, it only recently gained attention in the field of housing. This paper provides a basis for broader and more informed debates in policy and research on the potential of sufficiency considerations to contribute to the overall reduction of energy consumption in the residential sector. It recommends shifting the attention from energy consumption of buildings towards a concept of sustainable homes in which e.g. the size of the living area plays a crucial role. A further important aspect is the possibility to fulfil other basic needs like the provision with food, recreation and social contacts in the nearby environment. The paper describes first examples of housing projects guided by sufficiency criteria, depicts the potential roles of different actor groups and points towards some general policy recommendations. KW - energy consumption KW - households KW - social innovation KW - sufficiency Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:hbz:836-opus-104638 UR - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421518307493 VL - 126, March 2019 SP - 287 EP - 294 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Spangenberg, Joachim A1 - Lorek, Sylvia T1 - Sufficiency and consumer behaviour: from theory to policy JF - Energy Policy N2 - It is increasingly obvious that for safeguarding environmental sustainability, eco‐efficiency measures will need to be complemented by sufficiency, in particular by strong sustainable consumption. The Theory of Planned Behaviour TPB and Social Practice Theory SPT offer different views on consumer behaviour, and on ways to change it. This paper briefly describes the challenges, discusses the applicability of both theories and their meaningfulness for policy recommendations. We suggest an approach combining results of both bodies of theory, complemented by ideas from political economy, to substantiate the Prism of Sustainable Consumption we introduce as a heuristic sufficiency policy tool. It is useful to identify affordability criteria for change in each dimension, as the basis for deriving suggestions for effective policy interventions. We conclude that (i) effective interventions are possible, (ii) they have to address several dimensions of affordability simultaneously, and (iii) the sufficiency policy space prism can be a useful tool in structuring planned interventions. KW - dimensions of affordability KW - Theory of Planned Behaviour TPB KW - Social Practice Theory SPT KW - Prism of Sustainable Consumption KW - sufficiency policy options Y1 - 2019 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:hbz:836-opus-104648 UR - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301421519301764 VL - 129, June 2019 SP - 1070 EP - 1079 ER -