Already at the minimum? Narratives of energy use-reduction in Finnish households

To combat the global problem of unsustainability, absolute reductions in energy use are needed, particularly in the Global North. There is an urgent need for a better understanding of the possible routes for reduction that go beyond abstracted technological solutions or efficiency improvements, as well as a need for a deeper insight into how the potential for reduction is currently framed. We use a citizen survey on perceptions of energy-use reduction as a means of exploring the perceived possibilities for reduction. Four ‘narratives of energy-use reduction’ that circulate among the public are identified: no reduction; price-enabled reduction; technology-enabled reduction; and competence-enabled reduction. We argue that these interlinking narratives are informative in understanding how change is understood amidst the bundle of practices related to energy-use reduction. They highlight the meanings related to energy use and allow us to explore the understandings of how the potential for energy-use reduction is positioned in society, particularly in regard to the notion of minimum consumption. Our findings are useful in providing a more nuanced understanding of the (de)constitution of energy use, and they contribute to identifying possibilities for steering energy use by providing insight into the general understandings of the current levels of energy use.