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Leeds Relational Energy Group

picture shows cartoon headshots of a wide range of people, with dotted lines between them intended to represent the web of relationships between people

The Leeds Relational Energy Group (LREG) takes a relational approach to energy use in homes, inspired by economic sociology. We explore how energy use is shaped by people's social relations, and work with stakeholders to design better policy and interventions for fair and low-carbon futures. Our core team - Mark Davis, Lucie Middlemiss, Anne Owen and Ruth Bookbinder - have led a series of projects and partnered with other researchers from Leeds and beyond. We continue to work with partners across academia, business and industry, civil society, and government departments to apply a relational approach to grand challenge priorities in energy and climate. Our website aims to showcase the work we have done to date, and will feature new additions as our interests evolve and develop.

Latest Resources

Rethinking retrofit: our new policy paper

In this new academic paper led by our colleague Donal Brown, we show how by paying attention to relational dynamics, we can better design policies that work with the grain of existing household practices and social relations. [Retrofit, Paper, Dec 2025]

Towards a relational sociology of retrofit

Here Mark Davis leads in an exploration of how relational sociology can offer opportunities to completely reframe the retrofit challenge, resulting in new avenues to improve energy policy design and incentives. [Retrofit, Paper, Nov 2024]

Developing a relational approach to energy demand

A methodological and conceptual guide. How social connections and community impact decisions on home energy efficiency upgrades, with new insights for creating policies that align with the real-life social networks and discussions of individuals [Retrofit, Paper, April 2024].

Could women investors swing the balance in the fight on climate change?

Investing in local green projects like the H&F Green Investment can empower women and foster significant environmental change, offering residents a tangible way to contribute to their community's sustainability efforts [CMIs, News, March 2024].

>>> Resource Library

Find all our resources in our resource library

Projects

Whole Person, Whole Place

An interdisciplinary team of social scientists found that social relations and household financial sources, rather than just financial constraints, significantly influence domestic retrofit decisions, suggesting policies should leverage these dynamics to enhance uptake.

Social Relations of Retrofit

This extension of the Whole Person, Whole Place study found that insufficient support after recruitment led to incomplete domestic energy retrofits among low-income Asian homeowners in Bradford, highlighting the need for more relational support throughout the process.

Evaluating the Leeds Retrofit Accelerator Hub

This initiative, building on the Whole Person, Whole Place project, aims to integrate a relational framework into Leeds retrofit schemes, involving partners like Leeds City Council and Octopus Energy, to enhance scalability and effectiveness.

Energy Poverty and Social Relations

These projects explored how social relations influence energy poverty and market interactions, particularly among disabled people, resulting in a Nature Energy perspective advocating for integrating social relations into energy studies.

Local Climate Bonds

The Financing for Society project developed Community Municipal Investments (CMIs) to help UK local authorities fund net zero infrastructure projects, raising £8 million since 2020, with the UK Green Finance Institute promoting their expansion through a national campaign and toolkit.

Energy Demographics

This fellowship aims to enhance the UK's future energy predictions by adopting a 'whole systems' approach, linking household spending with industrial energy use, and creating the 'UK's Energy Footprint' indicator to be reported alongside the Carbon Footprint by BEIS.