Abstract/Summary

An increasing interest in the representation of the intra-day variability observed in domestic electricityconsumption patterns has driven the development of various modelling frameworks that incorporateconsumer behavioural patterns as a key element for the simulation of electricity consumption. Some ofthe existing models produce reasonable representations of the broader characteristics of user activitypatterns, typically rendered as dwelling occupancy patterns. However, when these activity patterns areused to produce estimates of the electricity demand loads associated with such activities, little attentionis paid to the links between activities and the actual use of the electric equipment responsible for theproduction of the actual demand loads. Instead, the simulation of demand loads from activity patterns isruled by simplifying assumptions that mask the reality behind those links. This paper therefore seeks tounpack the relationship between activity and electricity demand profiles by focussing on the underlyingactivity patterns in more detail, and how these relate to the usage patterns of the associated appliances.These relationships are studied based on currently available datasets. The analysis of the activities asso-ciated with the use of more than one appliance revealed the differences between the likelihood of eachappliance being activated throughout the day relative to user engagement in the activity the applianceis associated with. In practice, what this shows is how each appliance’s share of the demand load asso-ciated with the activity varies throughout the day. As a result, the power consumption associated with aparticular activity is subject to the same kind of variability; activity-related demand. The results of thisanalysis can be used in conjunction with current or new modelling approaches with a view to linking theuser activity patterns with the simulation more of realistic electricity demand loads.