Citizens, everyday life and tensions in the energy transition

The project stems from the tensions in the everyday lives of citizens engendered by the ongoing energy transition, which have gained limited attention in energy transition research. The tensions entail challenges for citizens in terms of competences, images and material and financial demands that may exclude some citizens.

The project provides a new perspective on current discussions on resistance to transitions, ownership of the energy transition and energy justice. We do so by zooming into tensions that are common to particular everyday life situations rather than locations. We investigate challenges encountered by ordinary citizens in the energy transition, and possibilities to overcome them, through four in-depth cases identified as critical in previous research. We focus on the equity effects of the electrification of transport, the changing relationships between energy companies and consumers, the challenges encountered by users of energy-smart buildings and energy poverty among low-income owner of homes in need of refurbishment.