College of Social Sciences

The intersection of the climate and fuel crises raises critical questions about one of our basic utilities - energy - which is vital for health, wellbeing and to the functioning of our society.

The energy crisis has deepened over the last two years under the UK Energy Price Guarantee (EPG), with the average annual gas and electricity bill significantly increasing in the last year (gas 141% and electricity 96%) leading to growth in energy poverty and inflation.

There has always been inequality in energy use, with older people, for example, not being able to keep warm, and those on lower income not being able to afford energy for the basics: cooking, washing, cleaning as well as keeping warm. Within the UK and global energy landscape, those with higher incomes are often high users of energy, and their energy use impacts climate change more so than those on lower incomes.

The UK energy market is unique in comparison to other sectors, in that the consumer incurs all the risk. For example, costs are incurred because of supplier failure and instability of new energy technologies, and there is limited agency in terms of options to reduce costs.

It is clear new approaches are required to create net zero infrastructures and successfully deliver services equitably. Times of crisis can create opportunities for radical thinking, but there is also a need for responsible innovations that protect citizens and communities – ones which couple the infrastructure with the people. It is key that a whole systems approach is considered, whilst also exploring local energy markets, energy citizenship and peer-to-peer opportunities. With the cyber-physical infrastructure – including smart meters and thermostats – there are both opportunities and risks associated with connectivity and extracting insights from data.

To explore these many interlinked issues surrounding the so-called ‘just transition’, the Digital Society and Economy Interdisciplinary Research Theme in the College of Social Sciences organised a workshop to bring together diverse speakers, exploring a ground-up citizen and community perspective to the energy transition. We hosted 4 expert contributions, followed by a roundtable discussion with all the workshop attendees.

During the workshop, many different themes were discussed, including climate resilience in the development of homes and neighbourhoods that connect people, place and environment in equitable ways. We considered the importance of data humanism and democratising our future energy economy; the argument being to take a people and community-centred approach for an inclusive, prosperous, sustainable and equitable energy transition.

This report will explore the key points made by the expert contributions, synthesize the workshop discussions as a whole with respect to the challenges posed by the speakers, and propose some recommendations regarding future policies and research directions.

Challenge 1: Designing Net-Zero Homes with Community Wellbeing Built-in

“Net-Zero Homes as Localities of Households, Neighbourhoods, and Natural Environments” Professor Bridgette Wessels, University of Glasgow

Challenge 2: Building Local-Rural Community Energy Infrastructures

“Community Energy Transitions: Orkney and Crichton Trust” Professor David Flynn, University of Glasgow

Challenge 3: Balancing Privacy & Efficiency in Social Housing Energy Systems

Digitalising Social Housing Energy Transition with Cyber-Physical Systems and IoT Dr Ahmad Taha & Dr Mahmoud Shawky, University of Glasgow

Challenge 4: Providing Energy to Those Who Cannot Afford it 

A Foodbank, but for Electricity and Gas Matthew Cole, Fuel Bank Foundation; Chair of Fuel Poverty Scotland

 

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First published: 7 February 2024