Une présentation des projets de recherche en cours à l'IGEAT (Université Libre de Bruxelles). Avec le concours du NCP Brussels et du cluster Greenov

1. Energy and smart grids.
Users’ studies
Grégoire Wallenborn
Sustainable Construction and Efficient Energy
Tours & Taxis
21th of January 2014

2. IGEAT
• Institut de Gestion de l’Environnement et
d’Aménagement du Territoire
• Founded in 1993.
• Specialised in environment-society relationships.
• About 40 researchers and professors: multidisciplinary
team (geography, economy, sociology, impact
assessment, philosophy, design, …).
• Multiple partnerships and funding sources.
• Quantitative and qualitative methodologies.
• http://igeat.ulb.ac.be

3. Wouter Achten
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New assistant Professor.
Chair “Environmental impacts”
PhD Bio Science Engineering (KUL, 2010).
LCA, Carbon footprint, land use impact
assessment.
• Fields of application: biofuels, biomaterials, food,
agriculture.
• Projects: IWT (R&D), partner in 3 FP7 projects

4. Wouter Achten’s research interests
• Life cycle thinking
• LCA
– materials, buildings
– Carbon footprint: cities
• LCC
• Developing assessment tools (rather
than simple applications)
– Social LCA
– Dynamic LCA
• Life cycle as a tool of management,
design or use time determination.

5. My interests
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Background: STS (Science and Technology Studies)
Issues crossing technology, environment and daily life.
Interdisciplinary projets
Sustainable consumption patterns, incl. scenario building
methodologies.
• Domestic energy consumption analysed through social
practices (beyond the technology/behaviour divide), incl.
social inequalities and rebound effects.
• Ecodesign and user-centered design.
• Place of users in smart buildings and smart grids.

6. Determining profiles
Specifying household profiles for more efficient energy
demand-side management. 2004-2006. Belspo. With
CRIOC and ICEDD.
• Surveys: quantitative and qualitative
• Some results:
– Gaps between attitudes and behaviours.
– Diversity of interests to conserve energy.
– Identification of constraints (NB. Constraints both enable and
disable).
– Importance of other actors (a.o. architects, technicians, …)

7. • Integration of Standards, Users and
Ecodesign in energy-using products. 20062010. Belspo. With CRIOC & ICEDD.
• Exploration of the ecodesign and the
interfaces of some appliances (heating,
lights, computer, washing machines, inhome displays)
• Main results:
– Diversity of users’ representation in the EuP
directive.
– Standards embody some idea of users: uses
are ‘scripted’.
– Propositions of new interfaces.
– Quantitative survey of the appropriation of inhome displays.

8. Mitigation policy and social justice
• Climate change mitigation policies and social
justice. 2011-2013. King Baudouin Foundation.
• Analysis of 3 measures from the point of view of
social justice:
– Carbon tax.
– Street by street renovation
– Smart meters roll-out
• EBP and social justice

9. THESPI
• Tools for Household Energy-Saving
Practices Innovation. 2010-2012.
Electrabel. With CEESE (ULB) and
KUL.
• Exhaustive review of social tools to
help households to reduce their
energy consumption (including
feedback and segmentation).
• Analysis of the ‘smart energy box’
appropriation by Electrabel’s
customers.

10. HECoRE
• Household Energy Consumption and Rebound
Effects. 2010-2012. Belspo. With U.Antwerp and
ICEDD.
• Review of theoretical and empirical litterature on
rebound effects.
• Rebound effects are not the same in different
disciplines (economics, social psychology,
sociology).

11. FLEXIPAC
• Flexibility and Heat Pumps. 2013-2015. Région
Wallonne. With Ulg, 3E, Lampiris, etc.
• Potential storage of electricity through heat pumps.
Study of energy use shifting and saving.
• User’s appropriation of devices and acceptability of
flexibility. Ethnographic survey.
• Development of interfaces about the conditions of the
electricity system.

12. Segmentation : maitrise de la consommation
Axe d’analyse : logique d’action
A Flexipac
preliminary
result

13. Thank you
gregoire.wallenborn@ulb.ac.be