Julien, A;
(2014)
Rapid energy savings in London's households to mitigate an energy crisis.
Doctoral thesis , UCL (University College London).
Abstract
The UK’s natural gas supply is considered secure, but a combination of events could compromise the continuity of supply. Reducing energy demand by implementing rapid energy saving measures has been effective in mitigating many electricity shortages globally to date. This thesis investigates whether similar measures could be effective in the UK in the event of a natural gas shortage, using a case study of London’s households. A mail survey was developed and sent to a sample of 1,600 households in London to investigate which energy saving actions respondents would implement in a gas shortage. The questionnaire suggested a hypothetical scenario, where the media and government asked households to save energy for one month and also included questions about the respondents, their households and their dwellings. The resulting energy savings were subsequently calculated for each household using ‘MESAH’, a computer model developed during this research. This model used energy saving estimates based on a review of literature about household activities that use energy. Using these assumptions, the savings achieved by the different households varied vastly, reaching an overall total of approximately 30% of normal gas and electricity use in January. This result was relatively stable during the winter season. It was however found to be very sensitive to assumptions taken about the energy savings, and whether the respondents implemented actions as stated in the survey. It also found that the different actions proposed had very disparate saving impacts. The savings calculated represent high estimates of energy saving potential, rather than predictions due to uncertainties and limitations in the research. The project identified rapid energy savings as an option for an emergency response, but stressed that this approach should only be taken in extreme situations
| Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Title: | Rapid energy savings in London's households to mitigate an energy crisis |
| Language: | English |
| Keywords: | Energy, Savings, Gas shortage, Households, Energy demand, Energy crisis |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment > Bartlett School Env, Energy and Resources |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1425687 |
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