Presentation at the BSA Climate Change Study Group event, “Energy, Climate and Society: Insights from Early Career Researchers”, held on Thursday, 18 April 2013 at the University of Westminster.

1. Collective energy switching:
a tickle towards engaged action?
Will Eadson

2. • Collective Switching - an introduction
• Research agenda
• Switching as community/collective
energy movement
• Switching as behavioural nudging
• Tickling towards engaged action?
• Not all switching projects are equal
Overview

3. • Origins in Belgium and the Netherlands
• Core principles
– Individuals sign-up online
– Reverse auction
– Individuals decide whether to go with offer
• DECC interest from 2011
• South Lakeland first UK council
• DECC funding Jan-March 2013
Collective Energy Switching

4. • Chart the rise of collective switching as a
policy movement
• Explore rationales for collective switching
for different stakeholders
• Explore role of collective energy switching
in changing consumer behaviour
• Explore impacts of collective energy
switching
• In particular, explore engagement with and
benefits for people in or at risk of fuel
poverty
Research agenda

5. • Residents can/will save money
• It is a form of collective action that will
empower communities
• It will change consumer energy behaviour
– more engaged with energy markets (especially
'sticky' consumers)
– more engaged with energy usage?
• It will help shape the energy market:
– bring down prices
– open up to greater number of suppliers
– encourage move to 'green' tariffs?
Some claims / suppositions

6. • Most forms are top-down projects
• Little/no collective activity involved
• Use of profit-making intermediary
organisations (near monopoly):
– possible questions re. transparency?
– further marketisation of energy industry?
(rather than move towards community
empowerment?)
Collective Energy Switching as
community/collective energy movement

7. • Some proponents have linked to
behavioural psychology theories, especially
ideas around nudging
• Some appeal to social norms
• But largely passive and no real feedback
mechanism
• No 'default options'
• What does it nudge consumers to do in
terms of behaviour change?
Collective energy switching as behavioural nudging

8. • Not really a community/collective movement...
• Not really a behavioural nudge in itself...
• But... LAs using as route to engaging on other
energy-related projects and advice
• And for many a first experience of engaging with
energy market
• A hook to get people involved in energy action:
– could be seen as ploy to gather data on communities for
marketing
– ...or as genuine means for engaging people on energy
• Possibility to generate surpluses to reinvest in
community energy action?
Tickling towards active engagement?

9. • Scale of project/auction
• Partnership approaches
– other LAs (generate scale)
– Housing associations
– Community groups (depth?)
• Engaging residents
– Mass media
– Housing officers
– Community energy champions
– Local service centres / small businesses
• Engaging energy suppliers
– Reverse auction through intermediary
– Direct contact
• 'Add-ons' to switch
– Sweep of energy market for alternative tariffs
– Using to engage with Green Deal, energy advice, income maximisations (for fuel poor)
• Use of surpluses(?)
– Fund future projects
– Fund fuel poverty
– Profits?
Variety of local collective switching approaches

10. • A new phenomenon in the UK
– Still being perfected in action
• Not a panacea for market or individual
energy ills
• Lots of questions remain re.
equity, transparency and efficacy
• But... potentially a useful hook to draw into
other schemes / interventions
• And... begin journey towards energy
awareness
Summary