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Short abstract:

Home energy management is realized through user innovations. Gendered definitions and adoption of innovations leave part of them unrecognized and ignore a part of adopters. Observation and interview data is analyzed applying a gender lens to identify diversity in energy management innovations.

Long abstract:

Households increasingly pay attention to innovative ways to energy consumption aiming at energy conservation, demand flexibility and transition from fossil fuels towards clean energy. The means and paths in households for sustainable and flexible energy consumption are manifold. Diversity of residents, household composition, living conditions, and the values of individuals are among the many factors that affect home energy management user innovations. This study focuses on gender dimension in energy-relevant user innovations in homes and seeks pathways to more inclusive recognition of innovations in home energy management. We identify and analyze gendered user innovations based on two empiric research datasets collected in homes: Sensory ethnographic interview and observation data collected in 28 households in the context of home energy technologies and energy behavior, and interview data from 96 interviews on energy communities. We propose pathways for enhancing the current gendered conceptualization of home energy management user innovations and for inclusiveness in the residential energy management ecosystem. The research contributes to the inclusive conceptualization and recognition of home energy user innovations, strengthening and enhancing the energy technology and energy behavior innovation base, consequently increasing sustainability impacts and democratic and engaging green, digital and social transition.