Moving home: houses, new occupants and the formation of heating practices

ABSTRACT This paper examines the formation of heating practices at the time of moving house. Interviews on occupant changes in Finnish single-family houses with a focus on heating arrangements and thermal comfort reveal that practice formation in and around occupant changes is a complex process of aligning elements where the house stands out as a coordinative and coordinated aggregate. As houses pass from one set of occupants to the next, they carry practices and delineate new ways of operation to the new occupants. The study demonstrates the temporal unfolding of the hidden complexity to what seems like a straightforward process of residents interacting with a new heating system and home. The findings contribute to the understanding of the domestic sphere as a space for practice formation.