GLOW-Energy nested bio system flows:from the home to the hub
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Strathclyde
Department Name: Architecture
Abstract
The aim of this project is to provide an innovative dynamic approach to transform how people manage energy in homes inspired by bees' social organization and communication. A new computational system is developed to identify and communicate inefficiencies found between individual household energy use and community energy demand. Bees have evolved an efficient mechanism to communicate collective needs at an individual level in responsive and targeted ways that humans have not. The new system draws on behavioural patterns found in bees as a way to communicate an optimised approach to managing energy behaviour in homes in a responsive, targeted and effective way.
Currently, energy in homes is managed through technologies that are designed to alert users to reduce their use when passing a designed threshold. These thresholds are derived mostly from technical data rather than evidence that takes into account the social values and approaches to community, ways of living and home character. It is well established that despite being alerted to change how they use energy, most users do not alter their behaviour in the longer term. This lack of responsiveness is seen to occur mainly through not taking into account users' values, their homes' social and spatial character and ways of living. Energy demand in housing is growing and diversifying with predicted carbon emissions from homes significantly impacting on health and wellbeing of society as a whole. Without a significant step change in the status quo, the long-term impacts of managing energy demand unsustainably in housing are critical.
Working closely with three housing communities and industry partners, the research will use mixed methods to study how energy is used in homes and how this varies between different communities. The existing behavioural patterns across the three housing communities will be studied and identified inefficiencies will be computationally optimised using learning found in bees' communication protocols. The developed computational system prototype will be tested initially through a web-based app, through which potential users could engage in a selection of behaviour change scenarios based on their inputs related to their self-identified behavioural patterns. Engagement and responses from the app will be studied and presented at two separate citizen juries in order to develop a holistic understanding into potential prototype service applications across a range of communities and sectors.
The project extends current work in EPSRC Energy and Digital Economy themes and provides multiple benefits not just through the developed prototype but also in evidencing use of innovative mixed methods that may be applied in future technology innovation studies in a range of sectors including energy. Findings will benefit a range of stakeholders including residents, housing developers, energy policymakers, energy technology developers, architects and housing associations. The project will benefit residents through enabling a user-focused and evidence-based approach to managing energy in homes, whilst housing developers can gain a better holistic understanding of how energy is used in homes and how its spatial and social configuration supports net-zero carbon design and development. Energy policymakers will benefit from gaining new insights and an evidence base that offer social and spatial knowledge, household behavioural patterns, and social responses that will better inform future sustainable energy demand management.
Building on a growing interest in sustainable energy transitions and energy democracy, this project offers an accelerated approach for both communities and individuals to forge a new relationship with energy. Though the focus is on the energy sector and housing, findings from this project have wider implications and potential benefits in the food supply chain for instance where collective needs necessitate an optimised individual response.
Currently, energy in homes is managed through technologies that are designed to alert users to reduce their use when passing a designed threshold. These thresholds are derived mostly from technical data rather than evidence that takes into account the social values and approaches to community, ways of living and home character. It is well established that despite being alerted to change how they use energy, most users do not alter their behaviour in the longer term. This lack of responsiveness is seen to occur mainly through not taking into account users' values, their homes' social and spatial character and ways of living. Energy demand in housing is growing and diversifying with predicted carbon emissions from homes significantly impacting on health and wellbeing of society as a whole. Without a significant step change in the status quo, the long-term impacts of managing energy demand unsustainably in housing are critical.
Working closely with three housing communities and industry partners, the research will use mixed methods to study how energy is used in homes and how this varies between different communities. The existing behavioural patterns across the three housing communities will be studied and identified inefficiencies will be computationally optimised using learning found in bees' communication protocols. The developed computational system prototype will be tested initially through a web-based app, through which potential users could engage in a selection of behaviour change scenarios based on their inputs related to their self-identified behavioural patterns. Engagement and responses from the app will be studied and presented at two separate citizen juries in order to develop a holistic understanding into potential prototype service applications across a range of communities and sectors.
The project extends current work in EPSRC Energy and Digital Economy themes and provides multiple benefits not just through the developed prototype but also in evidencing use of innovative mixed methods that may be applied in future technology innovation studies in a range of sectors including energy. Findings will benefit a range of stakeholders including residents, housing developers, energy policymakers, energy technology developers, architects and housing associations. The project will benefit residents through enabling a user-focused and evidence-based approach to managing energy in homes, whilst housing developers can gain a better holistic understanding of how energy is used in homes and how its spatial and social configuration supports net-zero carbon design and development. Energy policymakers will benefit from gaining new insights and an evidence base that offer social and spatial knowledge, household behavioural patterns, and social responses that will better inform future sustainable energy demand management.
Building on a growing interest in sustainable energy transitions and energy democracy, this project offers an accelerated approach for both communities and individuals to forge a new relationship with energy. Though the focus is on the energy sector and housing, findings from this project have wider implications and potential benefits in the food supply chain for instance where collective needs necessitate an optimised individual response.
Publications
Oliveira S
(2022)
Beyond energy services: A multidimensional and cross-disciplinary agenda for home energy management research
in Energy Research & Social Science
Bagheri-Moghaddam F
(2023)
A socially intelligent approach to consumers' collective capabilities in smart grids
Badarnah L
(2023)
Inspiration from animal's collective behavior for home energy demand management
in Journal of Physics: Conference Series
Oliveira S
(2023)
From individuals to collectives in energy systems - A social practice, identity and rhythm inspired lens
in Energy Research & Social Science
Atkins E
(2025)
The rhythms and rhythmanalysis of household energy demand
in Environmental Research: Energy
| Description | The findings show how combining human, non-human, individual and collective properties of energy infrastructures and simulating its functionalities computationally could offer a new multidimensional and multi species design approach to imagining new energy systems, processes and ways of being. There are implications for new considerations in designing multispecies and multidimensional future energy infrastructures to start considering what we can learn from ways we identify with our neighbourhoods, how these identities shape our everyday rhythms and energy use, ways collective non-human systems evolve resource management and how this could inform a new kind of multispecies interdisciplinary design practice. This work puts what was traditionally considered at the periphery of energy use i.e. the ways we talk about energy within communities at the centre of the discussion and highlights the importance such considerations can play for a more equitable resilient energy future. The project found that if people strongly identify with their neighbours; if they feel part of the community, they will regularly make more flexible energy decisions and those which benefit others. However, if they don't identify with their neighbours and the wider community, they will prioritise their own comfort and take a less regular, more ad hoc approach to managing energy. They might not even see climate change or reducing their carbon footprint as a priority, or even their responsibility. Insights from this project offer an alternative approach that proposes the active role that consumers (whether proactive or reactive) can take in shaping and creating the flexibility potential of the buildings that they inhabit and use energy in. These may be buildings of sole occupancy (such as detached houses) or large agglomerations of housing (apartment blocks). Whilst residential patterns or housing fabric might differ between these contexts, energy use decisions are defined by individual decisions interacting with broader neighbourhood dynamics. It is within these dynamics that neighbourhood-level or energy community approaches must be based. Such interactions highlight an area that cannot be reached through interventions that 'engage' and 'incentivise' households as consumers who can be reached through knowledge and awareness building or by providing new financial levers. Drawing on our analysis, we argue for an approach that encompasses four mechanisms for future research to illuminate and make sense of these dynamics further. These are: 1) creating a social energy culture as a service within neighbourhoods; 2) promoting policy development innovation through neighbourhood social energy learning; 3) including residents as active drivers to energy transitions and not only as passive receptors; 4) developing tailored visions for home energy management that move beyond generalist technological innovation and fixes. |
| Exploitation Route | Our developed computational model framework combining human and non-human insights, individual and collective processes could enable new design and engineering practices to emerge that could also better anticipate the increasing resource demands expected in a techno-centric future. A novel collective responsiveness approach and action can trigger new ways to manage or negotiate common resources at the neighbourhood or the community level. By giving agency to the neighbourhood and drawing emphasis on decentralising energy decisions, this framework can prioritise concerns on resident vulnerabilities, equity, and inclusion. This will in turn enable moving beyond a future where energy technologies or decisions are assessed to elicit their social acceptance, to a future where decisions are formed by the multispecies collective. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy Construction Creative Economy Energy Environment |
| Description | Our findings have contributed evidence to several recent policy consultations including in 2025 (Unlocking community energy at scale) - this written response was published (https://committees.parliament.uk/work/8609/unlocking-community-energy-at-scale/publications/written-evidence/) and informing ongoing discussions on place-based flexibility programmes in the domestic sector. In 2023/24 the project findings also informed development of the National consultation on the Future of Distributed Flexibility (Ofgem) as well as inout into the Draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan consultation, Scottish Government. The impact that has been achieved has also included invitations to input into changes needed to the Scottish Building Regulations in respect of the Scotland 2045 net zero targets. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2025 |
| Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Construction,Energy,Environment |
| Impact Types | Policy & public services |
| Description | Call for input - the Future of Distributed Flexibility (Ofgem) |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://blogs.bath.ac.uk/iprblog/2023/06/08/unlocking-the-potential-of-distributed-flexibility-for-a... |
| Description | Delivering a smart and secure electricity system - Consultation on interoperability and cyber security of energy smart appliances and remote load control |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://glow.arch.strath.ac.uk/project-outputs/ |
| Description | Submission to Draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan consultation, Scottish Government |
| Geographic Reach | Local/Municipal/Regional |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://www.bristol.ac.uk/policybristol/academic-consultation-responses/energy-just-transition/ |
| Description | Unlocking community energy at scale |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| URL | https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/664/energy-security-and-net-zero-committee/publications/w... |
| Description | East Ayrshire CoRE - BarShare Retrofit Demonstrator |
| Amount | £38,012 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 03/2025 |
| End | 02/2026 |
| Title | Interviews |
| Description | A description of data collection and data analysis for interview dataset as well as sample of anonymised transcripts |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | none yet |
| Title | Survey data |
| Description | Description of survey data collection and analysis |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | none |
| Title | Visual data |
| Description | Description of visual data collection and analysis |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2024 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | None |
| Description | EPSRC EDI+ Research and Innovation Network |
| Organisation | Durham University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Through the insights gained from her involvement in the GLOW project, Dr. Chatzimichali has been appointed as an EDI Fellow by EPSRC EDI+ Research and Innovation Network+ for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the Energy Research Community. She also became an active contributor to the EPSRC IGNITE Network Plus, engaging in discussions, initiatives and a research project funded by the network aimed at promoting inclusivity and innovation in energy research. |
| Collaborator Contribution | access to training, expertise and networks |
| Impact | none yet |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | All Energy - Social implications of neighbourhood energy flexibility - Empowering home energy managers |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Title: Social implications of neighbourhood energy flexibility - Empowering home energy managers The presentation shared new insights from a large EPSRC funded research project (https://glow.arch.strath.ac.uk/) that examines how the social context of the home and neighbourhood impact future community flexibility and demand management approaches. In this presentation, we propose a new type of community social energy actor - the home energy manager. Building on Theories of Social Identity and Practice as well as rhythm analysis, we examine how residents in Glasgow and Bristol manage energy in their homes. We specifically focus on study of everyday management approaches to monitoring, adjusting and checking energy use and the ways residents identification with their neighbourhood plays out in their home energy management approach. The evidence is first of a kind in the UK and offers insights drawn out of survey involving 639 participants and semi-structured interviews with 34 residents. Our results show that two types of home energy managers are important to include in planning for decarbonisation, community energy initiatives and electrification. Based on the results, we recommend that energy policy makers and local governments address the following three issues to strengthen the role of home energy managers in community energy transitions: 1) enabling community energy policy development based on neighbourhood social energy learning 2) including residents as active drivers to energy transitions and not only participants 3) developing visions for home energy management that move beyond technological fixes. Introduction: This presentation seeks to explore and highlight the innovative approaches and transformative potential of community and local energy initiatives, with a particular focus on home energy managers, help to decarbonisation goals, collaborative efforts, and social equity within the context of the All-Energy event. Objectives: 1. To showcase successful community-owned projects aimed at energy and decarbonisation community buildings and fostering community-owned generation. 2. To elucidate the tangible benefits of community energy initiatives, especially in cases where collaborative approaches and support for net-zero projects are employed. 3. To examine various approaches to community shared ownership (neighbourhood scales) and their effectiveness in empowering local energy communities. 4. To explore the role of community organisations as key players in whole energy system projects, emphasising their importance in driving systemic change. 5. To discuss innovative community approaches to decarbonising heat specially in the context of the UK, addressing one of the most challenging aspects of energy transition. 6. To analyse the role of community and local energy initiatives in contributing to a Just Transition, ensuring that no community is left behind in the shift towards a sustainable future. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2024 |
| Description | Engagement focused website |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Development of website structure and content (both text based and graphical) with key focus on inclusive engagement channels- developing structure for news sharing and announcements to reach wide audience base. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://glow.arch.strath.ac.uk/ |
| Description | Feel The Heat: Glasgow |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The "Feel The Heat: Glasgow" event was organised and hosted by the University of Strathclyde with the objective to facilitate knowledge exchange and discussion around the ongoing developments in the Glasgow area concerning sustainable heat and power networks for local use. The GLOW team delivered an informative presentation introducing the aim, objectives, and initial insights from the GLOW research project to a diverse group of energy professionals. The attendees included representatives from various organisations, such as the Scottish Government, Scottish Water Horizons, Clyde Gateway, Star Renewable, Enervate, Vattenfall, BE-ST, and Fortum, as well as other academic institutions. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Green Heat Hubs - Stakeholder engagement workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | This event was a workshop for Scottish Green Heat Hub, focussed on enabling novel discussions with academia, industry, and third sectors. Discussions focussed on the many challenges associated with Scotland meeting climate change and decarbonized heat targets, including those related to smart energy and residential heat pump deployment. Also, participants noted that these challenges could only be met through the cooperation of different technology sectors, industry/third sectors, coordinated policy development, academic research, and consumer feedback. The outcome of the workshop was development of framework that would identify the key challenges facing heat pump deployment as part of wider smart energy transitions in Scotland. The team participated in the workshop and contributed by sharing insights gained from the GLOW project thereby strengthening the outcomes through provision of new empirical evidence. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Socially Intelligent Home Energy Networks?? views from Glasgow residents |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The activity was an expert workshop held at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow on 4th May 2023 entitled 'Socially Intelligent Home Energy Networks - views from Glasgow residents. The purpose of the workshop was to share insights and exchange knowledge gained from the project and co-develop pathways to impact. The workshop included 7 invited expert participants from the Scottish Communities Climate Action Network, the Centre for Energy Policy at the University of Strathclyde, The Eildon Group (housing association), the PNDC at the University of Strathclyde, and the University of St. Andrews. Key insights discussed in the workshop emphasised the importance of considering collective capabilities in a socially intelligent energy approach at various scales, from the neighbourhood to the national level (neighbourhood, city, country). By understanding the social dynamics, cultural norms, and economic conditions, tailored sustainable energy solutions could be developed to meet the specific needs of local communities. At the city level, socially intelligent energy systems could ensure the sustainable fulfilment of urban energy needs through data analytics and energy management systems. Nationally, policies and regulations could promote sustainable energy practices and technologies. By incorporating collective capabilities in a socially intelligent energy approach, a more sustainable and equitable energy system could be created, benefiting all members of society. The discussion conveyed below key points: Fuel poverty and energy crisis: • Participants raised the importance of fuel poverty and how the project involved participants who may be in fuel poverty - in Scotland this may present 40% of the population. For instance, fuel poverty can result in households struggling to afford adequate heating and energy services. This can have a significant impact on their health and well-being, particularly during cold winters. It was recommended that greater consideration needs to be given in the project to whether participants involved were in fuel poverty and how the project could consider fuel poverty in the approach developed. • Participants observed that the data collected may convey a very particular point in time at the start of the energy crisis and the end of Covid-19. It was suggested that future consideration needs to be given to the fact that data collection took place at a time when many were adapting to sudden increases in energy costs. Community and emergency crisis: • Participants questioned whether the project considered insights from community responses to Covid and what could be learnt from those studies. Scale and community: • The discussion touched upon questions of the scale of the potential impact of the system proposed. Participants considered how residents may be acting not only within the context of their neighbourhoods but also beyond - at the scale of a city or even country. The project may consider the implications of the proposed approach at various scales. Participants highlighted the effectiveness of communities in addressing and managing crisis, particularly in the context of energy-related activities. They emphasized the importance of better understanding social factors such as poverty, gender, housing, and community dynamics in shaping energy practices. As discussed, communities were seen to play a crucial role in influencing individual households through the spread of energy-saving practices or energy-intensive behaviours within the community. Moreover, they noted that collective action and community engagement are seen as key drivers of sustainable energy use in Scotland, with communities collaborating to implement renewable energy technologies and initiatives. In addition, participants emphasised the advocacy role of communities in promoting policy changes for sustainable energy use, influencing the broader energy system towards a more sustainable future. Participants recognised the significance of gender as an important factor to consider in energy-related discussions. They discussed the variations in energy consumption and management practices between men and women. Additionally, they discussed how the number of appliances within households can impact energy usage and influence energy-related activities and routines. The discussions held emphasized the influence of housing conditions and social factors, including income, education, and data, on energy-related activities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | What can energy and housing stakeholders learn from bees |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Purpose - The GLOW HIVE Workshop was held in spring 2022 (online), with the primary aim of engaging with a wide audience including representatives from architecture, energy, engineering, housing and community sectors, in order to understand how diverse participants viewed the use of energy in homes and what this might mean in the context of a community/neighbourhood. The Workshop was organised into 4 groups named HIVES - each made up of 56 participants within a representative sector with discussion drawing on either a social, spatial, digital and/or technical lens. Outcomes - In summary, it was concluded that greater interdisciplinary and multidimensional knowledge was required to better understand how communities and neighbourhoods manifested-what were the physical, social, and digital boundaries and behaviours, and how residents perceive and associate with their neighbourhood; their home and community energy needs and their potential role within a community energy system. Impact - The participants reported increased understanding and interest in social energy demand practices in various types of homes and neighbourhoods. The implications of the workshop are twofold - a recognition and expressed involvement in the project from both the energy and housing sectors to better communicate and plan for how a neighbourhood energy management system could operate equitably and efficiently. To date, community energy has mainly been considered in the context of neighbourhoods that could generate their own energy - rather than more generally. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |