An investigation of energy usage during the 2020 CV19 lockdown – using SERL data – features in the Bartlett Review of 2021.

The project

A research team from UCL’s Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources – including SERL team researchers – used half-hourly electric and gas meter data, alongside weather, Energy Performance Certificate data, and a 1,000-household survey, to analyse how lockdown affected domestic energy use. Whether any lockdown-imposed energy use changes might continue past the pandemic was also being investigated. The work has been highlighted in the Bartlett Review, an annual collection of ‘highlights, key insights and impact’ from the UCL Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment as an example of work that could help guide us toward net zero.

Findings

The research showed that heating patterns did not change greatly during lockdown among those surveyed, although the 2020 lockdown coincided with unusually warm weather, so this was a factor. An increase in the use of computers and TVs was noted as would be expected when people are spending more time at home either working or on furlough.

Initial analysis of the smart meter data shows that it supports the survey findings with energy use spread more evenly across the day rather than the traditional higher peaks in the morning and evening (before and after work).

The team are cautious not to oversimplify the findings as there are many variables at play – such as the weather and the fact that many people were already at home during the day for different reasons before lockdown. However, the work shows that smart meter data can be used alongside other data to get a detailed picture of domestic energy use from a certain group in a specific time period. All households participating in sharing data with SERL do so with their fully informed consent and all data is subject to strict data protection rules.

Next steps

This work was jointly funded by the Smart Energy Research Lab (SERL) and the Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions (CREDS) and has now been awarded additional CREDS funding to look at energy demand usage changes as we move through and out of the pandemic.