Diagram of half hourly demand types referred to in the paper

A new article entitled “Residential electricity and gas demand in Great Britain: archetypal demand profiles and household explanatory factors” is now available in pre-print form.

Authored by Dr Martin Pullinger and several members of the Smart Energy Research Group, the paper seeks to advance understanding of how households use energy—hour by hour, season by season—in order to help design smarter energy systems and policies.

Key findings

The paper identifies electricity and gas demand archetypes using smart meter data from nearly 10,000 GB households. The researchers found strong seasonal variation in gas demand profiles but found that electricity patterns were more stable. The research also explores the links between electric vehicle (EV) ownership and microgeneration of electricity (for example from solar panels). Using the Smart Energy Research Lab (SERL) data with its combination of fine-grained gas and electricity meter readings, contextual household data as well as Energy Performance Certificate and weather data, the research was able to uncover correlations between financial wellbeing, family structure, and energy use patterns

These insights can support demand-side management, forecasting, and equitable energy policy. The authors will seek to publish the research in a peer reviewed academic journal in the near future.