Differing Needs of High and Low Energy Consumers in a Global North Country

Energy is consumed fulfilling universal human needs, in very different ways. In the 'cost of living' crisis, securing heat, cooking and travel is beyond many people, even in the Global North. Meanwhile, at the collective level, energy use is escalating unsustainably. A just transition to a decarbonised society must meet human needs while curbing excess consumption. To understand how energy consumption might be reduced for climate change mitigation, social science understandings of energy demand and consumption needs are key. This paper compares data collected in the United Kingdom from two groups with very different levels of energy consumption to see how the language of 'need' was used in their explanations of their lives. The participants' data illustrate lives on the lower and upper ends of sustainable consumption-where minimum and maximum levels of consumption are organised to accomplish needs satisfaction without wasteful excess. The analysis of the explicit mentions of what the two samples described as 'needs' in their lives are discussed with reference to the literature reviewed, and implications for policy are drawn out.