Testing methods of initiating inter-generational interactions on energy in the home

Abstract

For the UK to reach the strict emissions targets set within the 2008 Climate Change Act, significant reductions in energy consumption and emissions must be made across every sector. Whilst many new energy initiatives aimed at improving existing homes have been launched (and closed) over the years, the fact remains that the UK now has amongst the worst-performing homes in Europe. To add to this, the rising cost of living, particularly of utilities, is putting ever-increasing strain on residents. To address these issues, alternative solutions that are affordable and achievable are being explored. Improving occupant energy literacy and environmental awareness could be an approach to achieving reductions in home energy consumption. A potentially influencing factor in the home is children. As agents of change, children may disseminate environmental knowledge to older generations. This could be an effective way of improving their parents’ energy literacy and in turn their energy behaviour decisions.

This research tested four different methods of initiating inter-generational interactions on energy in the home. It investigated what topics and content would support improvements in energy literacy, for both children and adults, as well as how to teach this content to children. Interventions tested the differences between teaching online at home or teaching in person within the school environment. Differing types of home activities, each intended to create a potential for the interaction to take place, were tested, ranging from simple ’Snakes and ladders’ style games for children to play with their parents, to gamified continuous data logging of home energy behaviour by the participating children. A re-playable longitudinal intervention was also tested

Results overall suggested that children learnt more effectively within the school environment compared to the online home environment. It also highlighted that just one single lesson is enough to improve the energy literacy of children about ‘energy in the home’ – although an ‘Eco Day’, comprising of several lessons and varying environmental topics, seemed to have a longer-lasting effect on the children. When considering the intergeneration interactions, all methods showed promising results when gathering feedback from parents about interactions and conversations with their children. Parents reported that they intended to sustain behavioural changes that they had made due to the intervention.

Method one reinforced the rationale behind the need for inter-generational influences as it showed homes with children consumed more energy than both those without and those with elderly dependants.

Method two (in the school context) found that primary-aged children responded well to scientific topics traditionally not taught until secondary school such as energy sources and embodied carbon. Participating parents stated knowledge was passed on to them through the interactions created by the intervention’s home activities.

Method three (in the home context) utilised gas meter readings before, during and after an intervention and showed that as the number of interactions with the intervention’s ’Kids4climate website’ increased, rates of gas consumption decreased. Having said that, several significant outside factors affected this study; namely the outbreak of COVID-19, war between Russia and Ukraine and most influentially, the UK price cap on energy being increased several times.

Method four (in the school context) reported that "concern for climate change" and "Consideration of environmental impacts of decisions" both declined throughout the study for the control group. Whereas the intervention group maintained their high levels of concern and consideration, suggesting a positive influence from the intervention.

This research has successfully shown that several methods can be used to initiate intergenerational energy interactions in the home. Although their effectiveness varied, both ‘online’ and ‘in-person’ interventions can be used to increase and improve child-to-adult interactions and in turn positively influence energy decisions in the home. In terms of the practical applications of this research, it has been shown that at the small scale of this research, improving the energy literacy levels of children and providing the opportunity for inter-generational interaction to take place can lead to better energy decisions being made by the main occupants in the home. It is a recommendation from this research that energy literacy should be incorporated into the next edition of the National Curriculum.

More information

Identifiers

ORCID for Gregory Peter Sewell: orcid.org/0000-0003-0217-1113

ORCID for Stephanie Gauthier: orcid.org/0000-0002-1720-1736

ORCID for Patrick James: orcid.org/0000-0002-2694-7054

Catalogue record

Export record