Energy conservation and carbon reduction

1. Energy conservation and carbon reduction Dr Sarah Darby Lower Carbon Futures Environmental Change Institute University of Oxford http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/ energywatch smart metering seminar, September 2005

2. Feedback (including metering) as a reality check The young child is continually building a mental model of the world, checking it against reality as it presents itself, and … rebuilding it as necessary. We have to learn this business of comparing our mental model against reality and being willing to modify it... - John Holt, 1970 energywatch smart metering seminar, September 2005

3. Basic feedback: how much have I used? energywatch smart metering seminar, September 2005

4. Feedback from domestic PV Does generating your own (green) electricity encourage households to save energy? [http://www.geog.ox.ac.uk/~jkeirst/solar] energywatch smart metering seminar, September 2005

5. What do we want to know? • What are we using now? • How much did we use yesterday/last month? • Is our consumption going up or down? Why? • How much are different appliances using? and • Did we generate as much today as we used? • What was our peak consumption? energywatch smart metering seminar, September 2005

6. Metering for effective information – requirements and possibilities • Accuracy – the display is trustworthy • Immediacy – especially for heating/cooling. Makes energy visible • Specificity – the customer’s own circumstances • ‘historic feedback’ – compare over time • make consumption visible - compare end-uses • learn what changes are possible and effective • …and now microgeneration energywatch smart metering seminar, September 2005

7. Feedback use and other indicators of energy-conscious householders energywatch smart metering seminar, September 2005

8. Knowledge is built through feedback, action and information energywatch smart metering seminar, September 2005

9. What do we know about measured savings from feedback studies? energywatch smart metering seminar, September 2005

10. Feedback with TOU pricing … only seems to reduce peak domestic demand when P:OP ratio is high – at least 5:1 • danger that disadvantaged customers suffer from TOUP – less able to shift load • a lot of outlay for small returns from residential sector? • peak demand can be reduced by other means: campaigns, retrofits and better feedback display with standard tariffs energywatch smart metering seminar, September 2005

11. Challenge set for the ‘40% House’ study Four objectives of UK Energy White Paper: • 60% reduction in carbon dioxide by 2050 • Adequate and affordable warmth • Security of supply • Competitiveness To be met through demand reduction + building-integrated renewables Source: http://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/lowercf/40house.html#report energywatch smart metering seminar, September 2005

12. A possible ‘40% House’ scenario in the UK for 2050 involves… Technology investment • 1.7 low- and zero-carbon technologies per home • halving of consumption by lights and appliances • reduction of peak grid demand by up to 27GW (2002 peak was 62GW) + people • Training in building, design, maintenance and inspection • Stronger, well-enforced building regulations • Good information and feedback - high levels of energy literacy + better quality building • Demolition of least energy-efficient housing • New homes (post-2004) move to near-zero heating requirements from 2020 onwards • The rest refurbished to the standard of 2004 new-build energywatch smart metering seminar, September 2005

13. Conclusions • Feedback can help energy users to understand and control consumption • Accessible and clear direct feedback can reduce consumption by 10% • To be fully effective, it needs to be part of a wider process of social and individual learning • Micro-generation and smart metering open up new possibilities energywatch smart metering seminar, September 2005

14. energywatch smart metering seminar, September 2005