Quantitative analysis of everyday temporality: A practice-based approach in understanding energy peak (in)flexibility

Understanding the temporality of everyday practices—the root of peak energy demand—has been recognized as an essential but overlooked step in the quest to mitigate energy peaks. To address this gap, this study uses a practice-based approach to quantitatively assess how the temporalities of people's everyday practices contribute to their (in)flexibility to shift energy-intensive practices outside of energy peaks and, by extension, engage in peak-shaving demand-side response measures. Applying a novel combination of sequence analysis, cluster analysis, and an inflexibility index to American Time Use Survey data, we distinguish between time-flexible and time-inflexible groups and identify institutional and family rhythms as key causes of inflexibility. Groups tied to complex schedules arising from institutional and/or domestic pacers are found to be under higher time constraints, having little or no flexibility to adjust the timing of their activities. To cater for this lack of flexibility, we argue for targeted, and temporality-sensitive demand-side response and invisible peak-shaving measures like flexible working hour as better alternatives for achieving more effective and equitable energy peak shaving.