Evaluating participation of residential customers in demand response programs in the UK

Efterpi Lampaditou and Matthew Leach, Centre for Energy Policy and Technology Imperial College London

Keywords

demand response, residential customers, household demand model, time use survey, energy use behaviour, participation evaluation

Abstract

Demand Response programs for residential customers refer to direct control of appliances at certain times or dynamic prices or other incentives that invoke end users to reduce demand at peak times. In order to evaluate demand response possibilities a more detailed simulation of domestic electricity consumption is needed to provide information about when specific electric devices are in use and how they contribute to a household's demand. Household composition, socio-economic characteristics and most important lifestyle and energy use behaviour are key factors that influence electricity consumption.

This study describes a bottom-up model of household electricity demand to be used in the assessment of Demand Response and generally DSM strategies, using the UK 2000 Time Use Survey. Information on people's lifestyle, ownership of appliances, household composition and socio-economic characteristics are combined with results of appliance-use surveys and used to generate load profiles for each selected household type. The study discusses the possible outcomes of Demand Response from the end-user's and the utility's points of view. In bringing together detailed data on energy-using activities and appliance characteristics this research represents a valuable resource to investigate factors that influence people's energy use behaviour and therefore forms a basis for future work on DSM strategies.