Prof Nigel Goddard (PI), Dr Martin Pullinger, Dr Lynda Webb, Mr Jonathan Kilgour

Project description

This project aims to provide a detailed understanding of patterns of gas and electricity use in Scottish households, and how different factors shape energy use, such as family structure, building type and energy efficiency, working hours and schooling, and contextual factors including outdoor temperature and the level of urban or rural setting, as well as the effects of government covid-19 restrictions. The Scottish Government is committed to rapidly decarbonising the energy system whilst addressing fuel poverty and inequality issues, and the project will focus on findings that are of particular relevance to Scotland’s Energy Strategy and energy consumers.

The research aim is to provide analyses of the patterns of daily energy use by Scottish households, how these vary over time, and the relationship between those patterns and sociodemographic, building, appliance, behavioural and contextual factors.

Research questions

The project will evaluate:

1. What patterns of energy use can be identified, in terms of daily total use and daily demand profiles? Outputs will include a description of the variation in total daily energy use and a cluster analysis of daily demand profiles, for both gas and electricity. Cluster analyses are used to identify repeatedly occurring similar patterns in data – in this case, they will help identify a set of typical patterns of daily energy demand that occur in households.
2. How stable or variable is a household’s energy use and cluster membership over time?
3. How do a household’s sociodemographic, building and behavioural characteristics, the heating system and key appliances present, and contextual factors relate to its energy use totals and cluster membership?

Outputs from the project will discuss the potential relevance of the results of these analyses for Scotland’s energy transition and policy concerns, particularly for the ‘whole system view’ and ‘inclusive energy transition’ principles of the Scottish Energy Strategy (Scottish Government, 2017). This will include an analysis of the patterns of energy use for particular segments of the population, such as for Scotland’s distinct housing types and level of rural housing. Analyses will draw out how household energy use is related to heating type and fuel, to the presence of Electric Vehicle (EV) charge points, and to fuel poverty risk and deprivation, as well as the energy effects of local COVID-19-related policy measures.