Demand-side management opportunities for the UK domestic sector

The electricity demand signatures of individual UK dwellings, and of the main types of domestic appliance employed by households, have been collected and analysed. Means for modulating these electricity demands have been investigated experimentally. Peak-power reductions of up to 60% have been achieved by developing 'load-conscious' control-algorithms for individual cooking and washing appliances, without adversely affecting their performances. Peak avoidance via an integrated control philosophy (for managing a household's coincident peak power demands) and thermal-storage, have also been assessed. If widely applied in UK housing, the findings of this investigation could serve to substantially smooth local and national electricity demand profiles.