Households increasingly interested in energy consumption

Dr Larissa Nicholls, faculty of Information Technology and the report's lead author, stated that the report presents opportunities for the energy sector to better understand and respond to the changing dynamics of energy in households, as well as the rapid increase in renewable energy production and battery storage in Australia.

The research underscored that as individuals shifted to working and studying from remote locations, more electronics are being used at home for longer periods of time, and there is also a stronger interest in ventilation and air purification.

On top of this, consumers are becoming more conscious of the environmental impact of these lifestyle changes by considering switching to renewable energy sources, such as solar photovoltaic (PV) technology and home battery storage.

To help address this need, the Monash’s ETLab published the new Demand Management Opportunities report, which identified 15 tailored approaches to better align energy use with change in Australian households across seven daily practices:

• healthy indoor air and thermal comfort;
• charging devices;
• food consumption;
• caring for household occupants;
• working at home;
• energy creation; and 
• energy storage.

“Our recommendations include energy efficiencies for air purification, energy programs to suit people working and parenting from home, thermal efficiency in garages and sheds now being used as home offices, programs that encourage use of surplus solar and wind energy, and initiatives for digitally excluded households,” Dr Nicholls explained.

The Demand Management Opportunities paper is part of the groundbreaking Digital Energy Futures research project, which identified 45 trends and 10 principles to help with energy planning and forecasting.

Associate professor Yolande Strengers, a co-author of the paper, stated that the project's ultimate purpose was to “envision future scenarios of energy demand and work with the energy industry to support the creation of optimised energy infrastructures”.

Some of the approaches identified in the study include:

• Adapting summer peak demand advice to new ventilation practices and health needs;
• Managing the electricity impacts from additional space utilisation in homes;
• Offering advice on charging devices in homes and providing incentives and prompts to turn chargers on or off at particular times;
• Adopting tailored ‘at home’ approaches for weekday occupied households;
• Offering sustainability-centred participation opportunities;
• Recognising the impacts of digital exclusion and providing hands-on, face-to-face support for disadvantaged groups such as CALD households, the elderly, and renters;
• Supporting improved temperature control like better insulation and building materials;
• Educating the public on the energy expended for water heating and encouraging a switch to solar energy for hot water;
• Parenting-focused support and opportunities to participate;
• Educating communities on how cooking practices impact energy consumption;
• Providing opportunities to trade and share electricity, including as a gift to other households; and
• Offering ‘free energy’ as incentives to engage households in conversations about energy efficiency.

The Australian Research Council's Linkage Projects Funding Scheme provided support for the Digital Energy Futures project, which was carried out in collaboration with Monash University, Ausgrid, AusNet Services, and Energy Consumers Australia.