Horta, Ana2018-08-062018-08-062018Horta, A. (2018). Energy Consumption as Part of Social Practices: The Alternative Approach of Practice Theory. In Debra J. Davidson, Matthias Gross (Eds.), Oxford Handbook of Energy and Society, pp. 1-22. Oxford: Oxford University Press9780190633851http://hdl.handle.net/10451/34446This chapter examines social practices as an alternative and promising approach to conventional social science research on energy consumption. It highlights the emergence of practice theory in social science research on energy consumption that focuses on the interaction between social structures and everyday life, including materiality. After providing an overview of the evolution of social science research on energy consumption, the chapter summarizes the “practice turn” in sociology and its extension to research on energy consumption. It then considers the most prominent features of practice theory used in the field of research on energy consumption and concludes by describing the process of formation of the practice of managing the mobile phone as an example of how energy consumption can be analyzed using a practice theory approach.engsocial practicesocial science researchenergy consumptionpractice theorysocial structuresmaterialitysociologymobile phonebook part10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190633851.013.34