Residential monitoring to decrease energy use and carbon emissions in Europe

Aníbal de Almeida and Paula Fonseca, ISR-University of Coimbra, Dep. Electrical Engineering, Coimbra, Portugal

Keywords

residential energy, energy monitoring, standby consumption, appliances, electronic loads, air conditioning, energy efficiency policies, market transformation

Abstract

This paper presents the structure and methodology from the European EIE project REMODECE, whose overall objective is to contribute to an increased understanding of the energy consumption in the EU-27 households for the different types of equipment, including the consumers’ behaviour and comfort levels, and to identify demand trends. In the project a large monitoring campaign is being carried out in 12 countries, accompanied by a consumer survey. Some preliminary results of monitoring campaigns are presented.

The European-wide residential energy monitoring being carried out is focused on electronic loads (entertainment, information and communication technologies, plus standby consumption) and lighting, as well as air conditioning in Southern European countries. In four Eastern European countries, because of lack of reliable data, white appliances are also being monitored.

From the measurements already carried out it can be concluded that electronic loads are a key contributor to the power demand and that there is wide range of performance levels in the models available in the market. Available technology, associated with responsible consumer behaviour, can dramatically reduce wasteful consumption of electronic loads. The project is also assessing the patterns of residential lighting use, in which an increasing penetration of CFLs is being partly compensated by an increasing penetration of halogen lighting. Residential air conditioning is growing fast and is already a major contributor to summer peak demand in Mediterranean countries, as the load curves from very hot days have shown in the past summer. The air conditioning market has been flooded with very low cost and very inefficient units, therefore needing urgent attention.