Consumer engagement with active demand principles and technologies: A review

This paper is a review of consumer engagement with electricity demand management technologies, with a focus on active demand (AD). We outline different principles and technologies introduced into the market including direct load control with different types of equipment from controlled appliances to comfort control thermostats. The emphasis is on the consumer response to these technologies and their interaction with and acceptance of AD principles and technologies. The analytical and theoretical framework for this review is informed by sociological perspectives: (a) practice theory approaches on consumption and particularly different aspects of energy consumption and (b) theories from science and technology studies - a subdiscipline of sociology concerned with the interrelationships between scientific and technological innovations with society, culture and politics. We then outline the main approach used within the ADDRESS FP7 project regarding the assessment of user acceptance and interaction with AD technology.