information and communication technologies – a new round of electrification in households inge...

Information and communication technologies – a new round of electrification in households

Inge Røpke, Technical University of Denmark

Toke Haunstrup Christensen, Danish Building Research Institute, Aalborg University

14/05/2009COST 298: Users of social networks2 DTU Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark

Motivation: Old and new environmental impacts of everyday life• Studies tend to focus on: Which parts of consumption are most

problematic in an environmental perspective here and now?• Calls for studies on food (e.g. meat), transport and housing

(heating, cooling, white goods)• Fine! But: where do the new threats come from?

What happens behind our backs while we are dealing with the old problems?

New problems are constructed

Not the least: in relation to ICT and the internet infrastructure


Outline

Summarize a project:The use of ICT in Danish households in an energy perspective

•Data•Three observations – and what they tell about habits and routines•Implications for electricity consumption•A new round of electrification of households•Indirect energy consumption•Rounding up


Project: The use of ICT in Danish households in an energy perspective

• In-depth interviews 2007-8• Focus on emerging trends: people who have long experience

with ICT and competence to take up new applications• 14 main informants, 3 partners, additional telephone

interviews. Adults: 25-75 years• Forms with background information:

– Equipment of the household (40 types)– The use of ICT in relation to 48 activities, organized in 10

groups• Three points:

– Pervasiveness– User creativity– Diversification


Pervasive integration in everyday practices

• ICTs support the universal activities of communication, search for information and shopping – which are integrated aspects of almost all practices in modern societies

• Work and education– Teleworking, distance learning, home office, video conferences

• Reproductive work– Shopping, banking, public services, health, the intelligent home,

security, child care, cooking, do-it-yourself, ICT maintenance• Leisure

– Social communication, entertainment, games, creativity, documentation, hobbies, gambling, sex

• Civil society– Organizations, politics


Mary is a coach in the local karate club, training a children’s team

Communicates with the parents through email

Contributes to the club’s website

Finds inspiration at websites of other clubs


Esben is a member of a rifle club

He has a safe for keeping weapons for the club. A webcamera is installed in the room with the safe. Images are sent to Esben’s mobile in case anything moves


Several informants have running computers

Measuring distance and gradients of the route,and monitoring the speed and pulse of the user

Mikkel uses a net-based route map to plan new routes and measure the length


Merete takes lessons in line dance

On YouTube she finds films with instructions


Lise rides her horse every day and will soon buy one more horse

Lise and her husband are renovating the stable

She plans for webcameras in stable and fold and a website to access the recordings over the net

Then she can monitor the horses without going out at night

And she can watch them at her workplace and decide to go home early in case of bad weather


Benny sings in a choir, records the concerts of the choir and edits the results

Sometimes he burns a CD and discusses the music with others

Brian (retired) is responsible for the website of his choir

Merete’s choir has a Facebook group where the music is available

She also uses YouTube to search for the songs


Helle is interested in genealogy. Her cousin made a website where family members upload information.

She uses data bases, incl. the church registers which are scanned and made available on the net


Mary logs on to the internal pages of her daughter’s class almost every day to see what homework is set for the pupils


John has a copy of his home in Second Life. The avatar can turn the light off and on in the real home.


Diversification of well-known practices: The range of ways to keep in contact

•Meeting, phone calls, letters•Mobile phone; text and picture messages•Skype / IP telephony; video-phoning•Email• Instant messaging (Messenger, Google Talk, Facebook’s

instant messaging service)•Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn…•Blogs; travel blogs•Web-based photo albums•Online games


Habits and routines do not seem difficult to change

– in an environmentally problematic direction


Implications for direct electricity consumption

•At least one computer per person. Many have more• It is not practical to turn off the computer•Room and activity specific computers•Specialized equipment for many practices•Mobile equipment ever more important•Potential for energy savings: improved monitoring

(increased awareness of energy consumption) and intelligent management. Still only a minor modification of the general picture


A new round of the electrification of households

•Ligthing•Power and heating•Broadcasting•Data-processing (monitoring, management)•Combined with at new infrastructure: interactive network


Electricity consumption 1946-2006The distribution of household electricity consumption among final uses 1946-2006

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

1946 1951 1956 1961 1966 1971 1976 1981 1986 1991 1996 2001 2006

Lighting Cooling Heating Cooking Laundry TV, music and computer Miscellaneous


Basic function Basic technology Consumer products New infrastructure

Transmission of sound (by wire)

Telephone Telephone Telephone network

Lighting Electric bulb Electric bulb Electricity networkHeating Heating element Electric iron

Electric cookerElectric heater for waterToaster...

Powering Small electromotor Vacuum cleanerSewing machineRefrigeratorWashing machineFood processor...

Playing of stored sound (later images)

Media for recording and reproduction

GramophoneTape recorder...

Wireless transmission and broadcasting

Vacuum tube RadioTelevision

+ Broadcasting networks

Data-processingInteractivityAccessibility

TransistorMicrochipComputers in network

Personal computerInternet accessMobile devices

+ Internet backbone netand various access networks


Implications for indirect energy consumption

• Production and disposal of equipment– Particularly important for devices with a short lifetime

• Running of the ICT-related infrastructure– E.g. increased data transmission and bandwidth add to

energy consumption• Based on literature survey:

– When 1 kWh is consumed in the residence,– 1 kWh is consumed to manufacture, transport and dispose of

the hardware– ½ kWh is consumed to run the internet and the ICT

infrastructure outside the residence• Derived energy impacts

– Complexity, unresolved– In case they are positive: do not necessarily justify the

negative impacts


”The broadband society” involves quite radical transformations

•Potential for transforming most everyday practices•Dramatic implications for energy use•Comparable to the establishment of the car society – or

even more radical?

•Two dominant social agendas develop in relative isolation– Preventing climate change (and other environmental

problems)– Promoting ”the broadband society” (sometimes

associated the concept of ”dematerialization”)

•Can the agendas meet?


Thank you for your attention!

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