1. Developing contextually relevant transformative and solution-based research that addresses key stakeholder interests.
2. Understanding of households’ energy use practices and current interventions i.e. development of systems knowledge.
3. Understanding of the effectiveness of co-designed energy-saving interventions.
4. Bridging the classic research-implementation gap via reciprocal knowledge generation with non-academic actors.
5. More engaged city officials and local residents as a basis for highlighting the social responsibility of each stakeholder for optimum project benefits.
6. More relevant transformative scholarship i.e. co-created knowledge that not only responds to local needs but also is committed to social and individual transformation.
7. Enhanced agency for residents to contribute to small-scale solutions to unsustainable energy consumption i.e. generation of transformative knowledge.
The theory of change employed in this project is based on mobilising agency and allowing volitional choices for the energy users (households), rather than prescribing interventions that have worked elsewhere. This approach is informed by bottom up approaches to problem solving, which can yield long-lasting impacts. Using a mixed methods research design, the research will adopt a two-stage approach, with stage one aimed at co-design and co-production of knowledge and stage two aimed as co-implementation and co-evaluation of intervention programmes.
