What Can We Learn from the Household Electricity Survey?

Daniel Godoy-Shimizu, Jason Palmer, Nicola Terry
2014 Buildings  
The reasons for high carbon emissions from domestic buildings are complex, and have both social and technical dimensions. At the same time, it is costly and very time-consuming to gather reliable data on energy use in the home. The authors had early access to data from the Household Electricity Survey-the most detailed survey of electricity consumption in UK homes ever undertaken-which monitored 250 homes. The data enabled the authors to investigate a series of socio-technical questions drawn
more » ... by the UK Government: Why do some households use far more energy than average, whereas others use much less? What potential is there for shifting "peak load" so that electricity demand is more even through the day? Why is base load electricity use so high? The answers were seldom definitive, but statistical tests found significant correlations between high electricity use and social grade, large household size, unemployment and middle age; and between low electricity use and single-person households, small dwellings, and retirement. This paper draws out key findings from the work, and examines how these insights affect our broader understanding of carbon emissions from the built environment. OPEN ACCESS Within the UK, homes account for more than a quarter of the national energy use and carbon dioxide emissions. More energy is consumed in housing than either the road transport or industry sectors. Moreover, residential energy use has been rising by an average of 0.4% a year since 1970 [3]. Consequently, housing represents a significant opportunity for emissions reductions if the UK is to meet its targets for 2050. In 2008, the UK introduced legally binding national targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050, compared with 1990 levels [4] . As part of meeting this requirement, the Government and its Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) have identified a need to reduce electricity consumption in the home [5] . Electricity, as a proportion of total household energy use, varies from year to year, but in 2012 it accounted for 22%, or 109 TW· h [3]. In the UK, the carbon intensity of grid electricity is high compared to natural gas, which makes up almost two-thirds of residential energy use [6]. This is due to losses in electricity generation and the primary fuels, and means that, despite making up less than a quarter of the energy consumed, electricity accounts for 48% of household emissions; almost 60 million tonnes of CO2 annually. Electricity consumption in the home has grown by two-fifths over the past 44 years [3] , and the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem), has expressed concerns about maintaining sufficient electricity generating capacity, and ensuring the UK can continue to meet its peak electricity demand [7] . In 2010, DECC, in conjunction with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Energy Saving Trust, commissioned the Household Electricity Survey (HES) to improve the understanding of residential energy performance. The following section provides an overview of the HES. Further details are available elsewhere [8-10]. The Household Electricity Survey Electricity use was metered in 250 owner-occupier dwellings across England during 2010 and 2011. Of these, 26 were monitored for a full year, and the remainder for one month, each on a rolling basis throughout the timeframe of the survey. For each home, metering was attached centrally to the distribution boards, and to key individual appliances. These recorded electricity use at 10 min intervals for a year or 2 min intervals for a month. Most of the analysis was performed at a resolution of ten minutes, the two minute records having been combined to make longer intervals. However, the 2 min data was used where the finer resolution was appropriate. The mean annual electricity consumption for the HES sample was 4093 kW· h, compared with 4154 kW· h for the UK in 2011 [11] .
doi:10.3390/buildings4040737 fatcat:tnsozdgoanhrpp5gy7rixietj4