Household Energy Practices in Low-Energy Buildings: A Qualitative Study of Klosterenga Ecological Housing Cooperative

Abstract

This chapter examines household energy practices in the ecological housing cooperative Klosterenga in Oslo, Norway. Klosterenga, built in 2000, was one of the early implementers of smart building principles in Oslo, Norway. Although the ecological profile of Klosterenga inspired some of the residents to change behavioural habits such as limiting their car use or consumption patterns, the findings of this article show that expectations of smart technology as a primary solution towards energy efficiency and residents being rational consumers using this technology to save costs do not hold. The residents of Klosterenga rarely emphasised the building’s ecological profile and smart energy systems when purchasing their home, and the energy-efficient systems and integration of heating costs in the rent had adverse effects on residents’ energy consumption. Rather than taking the visions of ecology at heart, many residents legitimised everyday habits of high indoor temperature in the fact that the system was efficient. The findings contribute to the growing body of research that critically examines how smart technology visions for reducing energy use in buildings are implemented and practiced by the residents living in them.