When people move into sustainable houses, they bring practices with them that have temporally evolved along with their daily lives. A common misconception is that change to individuals’ resource use can be persuaded without consideration of previous practices.

The structure of this report is based on the CRCLCL RP3033 project activities which included:

Highlights

• A mixed method approach is used to analyze everyday practice in 8 homes over a year.
• Practices are performed in a sequential temporal spectrum as part of a routine.
• Practices are influenced by the interlocked practices and routines of other occupants.
• Highly interlocked and habitual practices are not easily influenced.
• Automation can enable change by dis-interlocking practices from the home system.

Abstract

Emerging results from practice-based research demonstrate that energy efficient houses often do not meet theoretical energy use based on the current standards of residential buildings. A factor influencing this inconsistency is related to user behaviour and everyday practices. The objective of this research is to uncover some of the complexities associated with the practices of heating and cooling in the home, which are influenced by motivations, knowledge and technologies, including the use of photovoltaic panels.

Highlights
A persuasive behaviour change program is assessed from a practice theory approach.
Most changes involved alterations in the technology element of the practice.
Alterations in the meaning and skill elements of practice are challenging.
Automation enabled dis-interlocking changes from the home system of practice.
Abstract

The White Gum Valley (WGV) and other projects in the CRC for Low Carbon Living have created rich data for energy and water systems in exemplar low carbon precincts. The stored and dynamic data have been retained through other projects. The utilisation of the data in a real-life situation through visualisation has been the subject of this project. The visualisation will be through an array of dedicated screens in the Legacy Living Lab, a Circular Economy building, which will be positioned on the East Village (Fremantle) precinct in September 2019.

The energy needs of most urban populations are serviced with centralised, fossil fuel based generation and transmission infrastructure. However, with the advent of affordable solar and storage technology, this will likely move towards an increasingly hybridised and decentralised model. While many households presently benefit from stand-alone solar photovoltaic systems, in higher density areas this technology is difficult to provide due to the way multi-dwelling buildings are governed.

Houses designed to be energy and water efficient often do not perform as intended. One of the reasons for this is occupant behaviour. Rebound effects and lack of awareness mean that behaviour and practices need to be addressed as part of the strategies to reduce emissions in the residential sector. While the design is important to minimise resource consumption in the house, the way houses are used can have an equal effect on performance. However, energy and water use in households are still poorly understood and so are the effects of behaviour change strategies.

WGV by LandCorp is a 2.1ha infill development in the Fremantle suburb of White Gum Valley. As an ‘Innovation through Demonstration’ project, WGV showcases precinct-scale design excellence on a number of levels by incorporating a range of diverse building types, climate sensitive considerations, creative urban greening and leading edge water management strategies. The innovations at WGV are being captured via series of research programs in partnership with Curtin University, the CRC for Low Carbon Living and ARENA amongst others.