ABSTRACT
Catherine Grandclément (0000-0003-0287-4425), Magali Pierre (0000-0002-7760-545X), Elizabeth Shove (0000-0002-4792-5479) and Alain Nadaï (0000-0003-0383-2729)
This chapter examines interfaces between the collective provision and individual consumption of energy. Two case studies – one about the plugging-in of electric vehicles, the other concentrating on the design of smart meters, show how the realms of provision and consumption; of the collective and the individual, and of the technical and the domestic are defined and managed ‘at the interface’. We examine the material politics of objects that are situated at junctions between infrastructures (managed by providers) and appliances (positioned as ‘consumer’ goods). We show how such objects specify and sustain the roles of consumers and providers and the terms on which they interact. In provisionally fixing what are often contested relations, the detailed design of items like charging cables and smart meters is important for the evolution of energy demand and as a site for policy intervention.
