La consommation énergétique à Calcutta (Inde) : du confort thermique aux statuts sociaux

This article aims at studying a practice of high energy fallout: the increasing use of air conditioning in public and private Indians spaces. To answer the question "Is air conditioning necessary ?", we studied the link between technical measure and subjective perception of thermal comfort...

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Main Author: Margot Pellegrino
Format: Article
Language:fra
Published: Éditions en environnement VertigO
Series:VertigO
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/vertigo/13395
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author Margot Pellegrino
author_facet Margot Pellegrino
author_sort Margot Pellegrino
collection DOAJ
description This article aims at studying a practice of high energy fallout: the increasing use of air conditioning in public and private Indians spaces. To answer the question "Is air conditioning necessary ?", we studied the link between technical measure and subjective perception of thermal comfort, and between energy consumption and social practices, for a specific case study in Calcutta. The methodology lies at the intersection of technical and social approaches. The study shows how a physical objective data, in this case the temperature, can imply variable subjective perceptions. The study also shows that the relationship between subjective perception (thermal comfort) and energy practices (use of air conditioners) is not linear. The results of this study finally allow understanding that the energy behaviour of a part of the studied sample is determined by a social aspiration. This aspiration consists in demonstrating, through the possession of an object (the air-conditioner) and the modality of its use (detached from a real necessity), the right to belong to a specific and identifiable social status. Thus, the definition of thermal comfort itself has to integrate social analysis: thermal comfort not only depends on a subjective response to physical environmental data, but it is also determined by representations that are specific to each social class.
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spelling doaj.art-fa8d4a9fe3ca49c2ab525f24a2cadf762024-04-04T09:08:44ZfraÉditions en environnement VertigOVertigO1492-844213110.4000/vertigo.13395La consommation énergétique à Calcutta (Inde) : du confort thermique aux statuts sociauxMargot PellegrinoThis article aims at studying a practice of high energy fallout: the increasing use of air conditioning in public and private Indians spaces. To answer the question "Is air conditioning necessary ?", we studied the link between technical measure and subjective perception of thermal comfort, and between energy consumption and social practices, for a specific case study in Calcutta. The methodology lies at the intersection of technical and social approaches. The study shows how a physical objective data, in this case the temperature, can imply variable subjective perceptions. The study also shows that the relationship between subjective perception (thermal comfort) and energy practices (use of air conditioners) is not linear. The results of this study finally allow understanding that the energy behaviour of a part of the studied sample is determined by a social aspiration. This aspiration consists in demonstrating, through the possession of an object (the air-conditioner) and the modality of its use (detached from a real necessity), the right to belong to a specific and identifiable social status. Thus, the definition of thermal comfort itself has to integrate social analysis: thermal comfort not only depends on a subjective response to physical environmental data, but it is also determined by representations that are specific to each social class.https://journals.openedition.org/vertigo/13395IndiaperceptionCalcuttaenergy consumptionair conditioningmiddle classes
spellingShingle Margot Pellegrino
La consommation énergétique à Calcutta (Inde) : du confort thermique aux statuts sociaux
VertigO
India
perception
Calcutta
energy consumption
air conditioning
middle classes
title La consommation énergétique à Calcutta (Inde) : du confort thermique aux statuts sociaux
title_full La consommation énergétique à Calcutta (Inde) : du confort thermique aux statuts sociaux
title_fullStr La consommation énergétique à Calcutta (Inde) : du confort thermique aux statuts sociaux
title_full_unstemmed La consommation énergétique à Calcutta (Inde) : du confort thermique aux statuts sociaux
title_short La consommation énergétique à Calcutta (Inde) : du confort thermique aux statuts sociaux
title_sort la consommation energetique a calcutta inde du confort thermique aux statuts sociaux
topic India
perception
Calcutta
energy consumption
air conditioning
middle classes
url https://journals.openedition.org/vertigo/13395
work_keys_str_mv AT margotpellegrino laconsommationenergetiqueacalcuttaindeduconfortthermiqueauxstatutssociaux