Local adaptation and innovation-in-practice in energy efficiency and carbon neutrality (LAICA)

LAICA develops a bottom-up approach to climate policy, building on household’s everyday practices. It examines the climate impacts of user innovations and innovative user practices, as well as their applicability on a regional and national level. It also stimulates and evaluates interventions that aim to spread climate-relevant innovations. Through an evaluation of the experiences gained, recommendations are developed for rescaling and reframing climate policy to secure the active engagement of citizens.

LAICA focuses on detached homes as sites of change and innovation, which offer a large cost-effective potential for climate change mitigation. Research is conducted in co-operation with the Finnish Carbon-Neutral Municipalities. Subproject 1 examines how users adapt generic technologies to local contexts through user innovations. Subproject 2 focuses on routine and change in energy use and efficiency using diary data and carbon blogs. Subproject 3 develops quantitative assessment methods to evaluate the climate impacts of the innovations-in-practice on the local and national level. Subproject 4 focuses on interventions to stimulate the multiplication and wider adoption of individual user innovations and innovations-in-practice.

The LAICA consortium is led by the Aalto University School of Economics (Department of Management and International Business). Partners include the Finnish Environment Institute and the National Consumer Research Centre (in charge of sub-project 4).

More details and contacts for LAICA:
http://www.hse.fi/EN/research/t/p_22/lumet/projects/