Survey study on energy use in UK homes during Covid-19

Abstract

To contain the spread of Covid-19, governments across the world imposed partial or complete lockdowns. National energy demand decreased in periods of lockdowns; however, as people spent more time at home, residential energy use likely increased. This paper reports the results of a UK survey study (N = 1016 participants) about their energy-use practices during the first lockdown in March 2020. The results indicated that self-reported heating behaviours did not substantially change during lockdown. Regarding appliance use, in particular the duration of usage for televisions and computing equipment has increased and has spread more over the day. Being less able to manage financially was correlated with a greater usage of the smart meter in-home display and a greater attempt to save energy was positively correlated with greater usage of the in-home display, though correlations were small. In summary, the results indicate that home energy-use behaviours, in particular around heating, did not change as much as might have been expected, which might at least partly be explained by the comparatively warm weather during the first lockdown. Corroborating the survey findings with actual energy data is the next essential step to understand findings in more detail. POLICY RELEVANCEGovernments are developing policies to support the transition to net zero. Covid-19 has accelerated the transition in behaviours such as home working which may result in a 'new normal' energy behaviour and will need to be taken account when planning for net zero. Insights into the changes in behaviour during lockdown indicate it would be oversimplified to assume that electricity and gas use have increased in all homes because of a stay-athome order. Self-reported heating did not change, whereas electrical appliance usage increased. The sample composition of the household is important for understanding

The impact of COVID-19 on household energy consumption in England and Wales from April 2020 – March 2022

“…These approaches removed the initial (pre-lockdown) effects of the pandemic from the control group but ignored weather fluctuations between years. Analysing ECMWF weather data showed that in GB the weather during the first lockdown was unseasonably warm and sunny, and the combination of temperature and solar irradiance was unlike any period in the previous 18 months [21].…”

“…Studies on the impact of the first lockdown applied simple methods which, while able to deliver results quickly, were unable to account for different weather conditions during lockdown 1 compared with the preceding weeks or the same period in the previous year. Weather is known to be a significant driver of domestic electricity and gas demand [27], and the weather conditions were unusual during lockdown 1 [21]. The most robust UK study of this period [5] was limited to a sample of 280 social housing properties in Cornwall, mostly with a retired or non-working household member.…”

The over-prediction of energy use by EPCs in Great Britain: A comparison of EPC-modelled and metered primary energy use intensity

“…Information on length of heating is not available for the majority of SERL Observatory participants. However, Huebner et al (2021) reported on the responses of 1,016 participants who took part in the SERL Covid-19 survey, these participants were drawn from the SERL Observatory participants who had been recruited by September 2019. Huebner et al found a mean of 7.5 heating hours during the first lockdown and that less than 15% of respondents reported increasing their heating hours during the first lockdown.…”

Understanding Household Water-Use Behavior and Consumption Patterns during COVID-19 Lockdown in Saudi Arabia

“…Therefore, an increase in water bills might indicate an increase in consumption. Moreover, similar studies successfully used online surveys to understand the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on water and energy use [39,61].…”