Households as part of the solution - Examining Swedish policy expectations on demand response in households

The smart grid is expected to encompass the overall electrification of society, while simultaneously managing increasing amounts of renewable energy. This could significantly impact how everyday life will be organized. However, previous research has shown that the envisioned role of households in the future energy system remains obscure and even contradictory. In this article we further examine and critically analyse how households as a demand response resource are imagined in the Swedish future smart grid. We focus on policy documents from the Swedish energy sector. To guide our analysis, we use the critical policy analysis framework of “What's the problem represented to be?” (WPR) for inspiration. Aligning with prior research, our results show that households tend to be framed as an untapped flexibility resource where heating and smart home technologies are to be controlled automatically or through remote control, which households allow for, motivated by consumption feedback, price signals or other incentives. Topics silenced in the problem representation include: The paradox in transitioning into a sustainable energy system while simultaneously sustaining unsustainable norms; a lack of diversity and acknowledgement of non-technical households; how trust and control need renegotiation and alternative ways for citizen participation in the energy transition.