We place the home at the center – as the focus and starting point for everyday electricity usage. The home exists within, is influenced by, and influences the surrounding electrical system, and sometimes also intermediate organizational forms such as energy communities. The interaction between these elements is shaped by national and global contexts. A complementary division is based on four societal dimensions that impact both the electrical system and the home: the social, technical, economic, and political dimensions. Building on this schematic framework, the following sections outline the research questions that underpin the research projects.
The home, the dwelling, serves as an arena for people’s daily lives and as a space for continuity, social relationships, and identity creation. To live and carry out everyday activities, we use electrical devices—ranging from heat pumps and solar panels to routers, refrigerators, washing machines, and computers. Besides electrical outlets, the primary point of interaction between homes and smart grids are the smart meters installed in all Swedish homes. These meters enable remote monitoring of electricity consumption for billing purposes and automatic control of electricity usage, contributing to maintaining the grid balance. However, automatic load control can also introduce risks and increase vulnerabilities.
Our acceptance of and use of new technology, as well as our ability to tackle major societal challenges—such as the energy transition required to address the climate crisis, or our approach to democracy, justice, and equality—are reflected in the design of energy systems within our homes. Technology in the home influences how we perform daily tasks, who is responsible for them, and who might be excluded. Technology can reshape norms and power dynamics. Social relationships and mindsets influence technology choices.
The program’s projects, therefore, focus on the challenges of a transforming energy system, with housing as the starting point. These challenges encompass technical, economic, social, and political dimensions.
The energy transition in Sweden shares similarities with transitions in other parts of the world but also has its own unique characteristics. Many technological components—such as solar panels, batteries, mobile phones, and the internet—alongside fundamental social factors form a shared global platform. However, other technical, economic, social, and political structures vary from country to country and often within countries between central and peripheral regions. A key goal of an international perspective is to draw lessons from other countries in and beyond Europe and apply these insights to the Swedish energy system transition.
The home is an arena where the social, technical, political, and economic dimensions intersect. Based on these dimensions, we develop our research questions within these four areas.