3: Histories of Heating: Looking Back, Moving Forwards

Publication Date:
30 May 2024
Pages:
36–52
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51952/9781529229479.ch003
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Transitions to low carbon domestic heating systems need to speed up. However, the speed of the transition must not compromise inclusivity and opportunities to redress injustices inherent in the current system. This chapter forwards two core arguments: first, it argues that, although mundane, changes to the way we heat our homes are also personal and can be life-altering. If the transition to low carbon heating is to avoid disadvantaging anyone then care must be taken to understand how different groups within society, and even different individuals within a household, are differentially affected by changes to home heating. Second, drawing on an Anglo-Swedish study, we argue that we have transitioned from one approach to home heating to another before, offering opportunities to learn from experiences of past heating transitions to inform a fairer and more inclusive transition this time around. Learning from past heating transitions requires the introduction of historical methods to the field of energy studies and we consider the merits of oral histories in this context. Important considerations are prompted by the deep, personal accounts of transition shared by respondents, raising important considerations for those driving the transition, helping to bridge policy discourse and life worlds.

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