Can the UK achieve an

‘energy efficiency

revolution’?

All Party Parliamentary Climate Change Group

London, 12th June 2014

Centre on Innovation and

Energy Demand (CIED)

Steve Sorrell

All Party Parliamentary Climate Change Group

London, 12th June 2014

CIED

• One of six RCUK Centres on End Use

Energy Demand (EUED)

• 5-year, £3.5m programme involving 12

researchers & 5 PhDs from Sussex,

Manchester & Oxford

• Themes: emergence, diffusion and impact

of low energy innovations

• Multiple projects on specific topics – urban

transport, non-domestic buildings, ESCOs,

rebounds, district heating, policy mix,

• Interdisciplinary and policy relevant

Engineering - techno-

economic potential

Social psychology – behavioural

determinants, sustainable consumption

Economics – barriers,

incentives,

information

Different approaches to

improving energy efficiency

Adoption versus innovation

Incremental versus radical

Technology versus system

Short term versus long term

Local versus global

Innovations Emerge in niche applications that facilitate improvements and cost

reductions. Diffusion is driven by positive feedbacks (scale/learning

economies, decreasing uncertainty, network effects), reinforced by co-evolving

skills, institutions, interests, infrastructures, regulations, norms etc.

Emergence and diffusion

Government

Business Consumers

Policy Interventions

Investors

Investments

Commer- cial

Supported

commer- cial

-

Pre com- mercial

Demon- stration

R&D

Product/ Technology Push

Market Pull

Academia

Socio-technical systemfor transportation

Culture and symbolicmeaning (e.g. Freedom, individuality)

Regulations and policies(e.g. traffic rules,parking fees,emission standards, car tax)

Road infrastructureand traffic system(e.g. lights, signs)

Vehicle (artefact)

Markets and user practices(mobility patterns, driver preferences)

Industry structure (e.g. car manufacturers,suppliers)

Maintenance and distribution network (e.g. repair shops, dealers)

Fuel infrastructure (oil companies, petrol stations)

Socio-technical system

for transportation

Culture and symbolic

meaning (e.g. Freedom, individuality)

Regulations and policies(e.g. traffic rules,parking fees,

emission standards, car tax)

Road infrastructure

and traffic system(e.g. lights, signs)

Vehicle (artefact)

Markets and user practices

(mobility patterns, driver preferences)

Industry structure (e.g. car manufacturers,

suppliers)

Maintenance and distribution network

(e.g. repair shops, dealers)

Fuel infrastructure (oil companies,

petrol stations)

Socio-technical systems

Innovations

Future transport

system

Trends and events

Current transportsystem

Oil depletion ICT and smart grids

Urban mass transit

Lithium ion batteriesHybrid drivetrains

Battery electric vehicles

Car dependent

Oil intensive

Congested

Climate change

(Sustainable)

Low energyLow carbonIntegrated

Shared

System transitions

Adapted from Geels

Lower

running

costs

Driver further and

more often

Lower

gasoline

bills

Holiday

in Spain

Less energy

More energy

Infrastructural

investment

Changed

living and

working

arrangements

Direct

Indirect

Transformational

More energy

Embodied

Savings

(in bigger & more powerful cars)

System impacts

IPCC 5th AR 2014

An energy efficiency

revolution?