ABSTRACT
In this chapter, specific attention is given to the experience of conducting and evaluating HomeLabs focused on disrupting domestic water consumption, which were rolled-out in parallel with substantial institutional reform of the water sector, including the formation of a new national water utility, Uisce Éireann and the development of a new, and highly controversial, fiscal system for managing the costs of water treatment and supply. It provides a productive space to reflect on the opportunities and challenges of applying findings from research-driven, collaborative living laboratories for sustainability transitions in highly contested contexts and dynamic policy arenas. The chapter focuses on how the visions, institutions, intermediaries and technologies of the HomeLabs were assembled and implemented. Specifically, the experiences of participating households are counterposed against the public reactions, both in the mass media and on the streets, to the significant public sector restructuring in the water sector.
