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Research Interests

My research is about the sociology of energy and climate change. In collaboration with the EPSRC Centre on Innovation and Energy Demand, our research group is studying comparative European heat and energy efficiency policies and practices. Recent Heat and the City research, funded by the RC-UK Energy Programme, focused on urban energy governance and organisation in globalising markets. Further work, with the Energy Technologies Institute and UK Energy Research Centre is analysing local engagement in energy developments. I was a member of the research team funded by UK Government to examine deployment of heat networks for affordable, low carbon and secure energy provision. Our report is used in the 2013 UK Government Heat Strategy.

With colleagues in Informatics, I am also studying the interactions of households and public sector organisations with sensor systems giving feedback on energy use.

As a member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh multi-disciplinary Inquiry: Facing Up To Climate Change I examined the role of civil society in sustainable use of resources.

Recent invited presentations include Low Carbon Heat and Energy Efficiency Policy and Practice, evidence to the UK Committee on Climate Change, 2016; The Sociology of Energy Markets, Universitat Hamburg Centre for Global Governance; Cities, Energy and Sustainable Heat, UK Energy Research Partnership, London; Action for Sustainable Heat at National Level, UK Heat Conference, Institute of Energy and CHPA, London; Local Energy Development in a Cold Cimate, UK Energy Research Centre, University of Warwick.

I am a member of Scottish Government Expert Commission on District Heating and Regulation, UK Government Department of Energy and Climate Change Heat Networks and Planning Group, UK Nominated Expert to the International Energy Agency Programme on District Heating and Cooling, and Trustee of environmental charity, SNIFFER.

Recent Publications

Books

(2016) Hawkey, D., Webb, J., Lovell, H., McCrone, D., Tingey, M. and Winskel, M.  Sustainable Urban Energy Policy: Heat and the City Abingdon: Routledge

Articles and Reports

(2016) Webb, J., Hawkey, D. and Tingey M. Governing cities for sustainable energy: The UK case, Cities, doi.org/10.1016/ j.cities.2015.10.014

(2016) Webb, J. Enabling urban energy: Governance of innovation in two UK cities. Chapter 10 in O. Coutard and J. Rutherford (eds) Beyond the Networked City: Infrastructure Reconfigurations and Urban Change in the North and South, Abingdon: Routledge

(2016) Webb, J. Socio-technical innovation in heat networks: Challenges of financing new systems in UK Cities. Chapter 4 in M. Hodson and S. Marvin (eds) Retrofitting Cities, Abingdon: Routledge

(2015) Webb, J. Improvising innovation in UK urban district heating: the convergence of social and environmental agendas in Aberdeen. Energy Policy, 78: 265–272 doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2014.12.003

(2014) ‘Evaluating Urban Energy Systems in the UK - the Implications for Financing Heat Networks’, Science and Technology Studies, 27 (3): 47-67

(2014) (with D. Hawkey) 'District energy development in liberalised markets: situating UK heat network development in comparison with Dutch and Norwegian case studies', Technology Analysis & Strategic Management, http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09537325.2014.971001

(2014) Horst, D Van Der., Staddon, S. and Webb, J. (eds) Smart Meters and Society, Special Issue of Technology Analysis and Strategic Management, 26 (10)

(2014) Pullinger, M., Lovell, H. and Webb, J. ‘Influencing household energy practices: a critical review of UK smart metering standards and commercial feedback devices’ Technology Analysis and Strategic Management, 26 (10).

(2014) (with D Hawkey and M Tingey) Local Engagement in UK Energy Systems, Loughborough: UK Energy Technologies Institute http://www.eti.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Edinburgh-Report-Version11.pdf

(2014) Bale, C., Bush, R., Hawkey, D. & Webb, J. ‘Valuation of passive provision for heat network investments’ Chapter 6 In A. Brown and M. Robertson (eds.) The Economics of Infrastructure. Newcastle/Leeds: iBUILD.

(2013) (with D. Hawkey and M. WInskel) Organisation and governance of urban energy systems: district heating and cooling in the UK. Journal of Cleaner Production, 44

(2013) (with R. Wiltshire and M. King, BRE, and N. Banks, CSE), Research into barriers to deployment of district heating networks, UK Government Department of Energy & Climate Change, London URN 13D/073

(2012) Climate change and society: the chimera of behavior change technologies. Sociology, 46: 109-125

(2012) Society and a low-carbon future, Earth and Environmental Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 103,  DOI:  10.1017/S175569101300004

(2012) (with D. Sugden and A. Kerr) Climate change, sustainability and the need for a new industrial revolution in Scotland Earth and Environmental Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 103, DOI:  10.1017/S1755691013000029

(2012) (with D. Sugden, A. Werrity, E. Caldwell, C. Campbell, A. Dlugolecki, N. Hanley and A. Kerr) Multi-Level Governance: Opportunities and Barriers in Moving to a Low Carbon Scotland Earth and Environmental Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, 103, DOI:  10.1017/S1755691013000078

 

 

 

 

PhD in Sociology