TY - JOUR
T1 - Policy mixes for more sustainable smart home technologies
AU - Sovacool, B. K.
AU - Furszyfer Del Rio, D. D.
AU - Griffiths, S.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors gratefully acknowledge support from UK Research and Innovation through the Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions, Grant Reference Number EP/R035288/1.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd
PY - 2021/5
Y1 - 2021/5
N2 - Smart home technologies refer to devices that provide some degree of digitally connected, automated, or enhanced services to household occupants. Smart homes have become prominent in recent technology and policy discussions about energy efficiency, climate change, and the sustainability of buildings. Nevertheless, do they truly promote sustainability goals? Based on an extensive original dataset involving expert interviews, supplemented with a review of the literature, this study elaborates on an array of social, technical, political, and environmental risks facing smart home innovation, with clear implications for research, policy, and technology development. Only with a more thoughtful and coordinated mix of policies in place will smart home adoption begin to fulfill some of the sustainability objectives their advocates continually promise.
AB - Smart home technologies refer to devices that provide some degree of digitally connected, automated, or enhanced services to household occupants. Smart homes have become prominent in recent technology and policy discussions about energy efficiency, climate change, and the sustainability of buildings. Nevertheless, do they truly promote sustainability goals? Based on an extensive original dataset involving expert interviews, supplemented with a review of the literature, this study elaborates on an array of social, technical, political, and environmental risks facing smart home innovation, with clear implications for research, policy, and technology development. Only with a more thoughtful and coordinated mix of policies in place will smart home adoption begin to fulfill some of the sustainability objectives their advocates continually promise.
KW - Digital society
KW - Energy and buildings
KW - Energy feedback
KW - Smart energy management
KW - Smart grids
KW - Smart home technologies
KW - Smart meters
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85107699855&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1088/1748-9326/abe90a
DO - 10.1088/1748-9326/abe90a
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85107699855
SN - 1748-9318
VL - 16
JO - Environmental Research Letters
JF - Environmental Research Letters
IS - 5
M1 - 054073
ER -
