Design for Collectives — Mini Episode: Reactive vs Proactive Energy Managers

In this mini episode of Design for Collectives, Anna Chatzimichali, Associate Professor of Engineering Design at the University of Bath, explores the difference between reactive and proactive energy managers — and why this distinction matters for the low-carbon transition.

Building on the previous episode, Anna introduces these two energy personas in depth. Proactive energy managers actively adapt their behaviour shifting energy use, sharing knowledge, supporting others, and engaging with their communities. Reactive energy managers, by contrast, prioritise personal comfort, make fewer adjustments, and feel less connected to the people and places around them.

Drawing on survey data and in-depth interviews in Bristol and Glasgow, this episode reveals how energy behaviour is closely tied to social identity, belonging, and neighbourhood design.

Proactive energy users aren’t just helpful participants they could be essential partners in electrification, shaping local culture, informing policy, and supporting collective change.

Next time: The myth of the passive consumer.

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