Paper long abstract:

As part of an ambitious plan for reducing CO2 emissions in Copenhagen, Denmark, the municipality of Copenhagen is obliged to obtain some massive reductions in the use of energy and water in households. This study supports this work by revealing necessary knowledge about some socio-cultural factors that prove of particular significance for influencing the use of energy and water in household practices of the everyday life.

Drawing on Actor-Network Theory, this paper explores the role of formal as well as informal social networks in forming household practices regarding use of energy and water. Taking as point of departure the materiality of energy- and water demanding activities I discuss how knowledge, ideas, norms and preferences are established and transmitted through social networks and thus influence the daily arrangements of household practices such as cooking, dishing, doing laundry, showering etc.

The study is based on extensive anthropological fieldwork including participant observation, semi structured interviews and photography. The geographic focus is on the district of Amager and private persons as well as municipal workers, property caretakers and local environmental initiatives contribute to the empirical material on which the paper is based.