DIFFERENT SECTORS OF ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION IN UK

Domestic

Energy consumption in the domestic sector increased by 2.2 million Tonnes of Oil Equivalent. (5.8 percent) but temperature-corrected energy consumption was very similar to 2020 levels which were 5.2 percent higher than in 2019. This can be attributed to people continuing to be at home more due to Covid-19 restrictions and increased remote working.

On a per-household basis domestic energy consumption increased by 5 percent in 2021, the biggest relative increase since 2011 when a particularly cold winter drove up demand for heating. The long-term trend in energy consumption per household is downwards over the last 21 years. Average consumption per household between 2018 and 2021 was 26.8 percent lower than the average between 2000 and 2003.

In 2021, households in the UK consumed nearly 109 terawatt-hours of electricity or roughly 38 percent of the total consumption. Meanwhile, the industrial sector’s consumption of electricity has been on the decline, falling from 117 terawatt-hours in 2005 to 85 terawatt hours in 2021.

Daily routines revolve around electronic appliances that consume more energy than the people realise.

Mobile phones, video games, computers, washing machines, and the list goes on. In fact, the average 3-person UK home uses 3000kWh of electricity each year, which means the electricity bill comes out to be £850.2.

All of the appliances that the people leave plugged in even when not in use are slowly consuming electricity. And the reality is that 23% (667 Kwh) of your electricity is essentially going to waste on these devices.

Industry

Mechanical engineering saw the biggest drop in 2020 but the biggest increase in 2021. Mineral products also saw an increase of over 0.3 mtoe.

In both cases, the increases are dominated by natural gas.

Output and energy consumption in the manufacture of vehicles is little changed between 2020 and 2021 but remain over 20 percent below 2019 levels.

Manufacturing output remains below pre-pandemic levels through energy consumption has returned very close to the level seen in 2019.

Despite quite large changes in output between sectors over the last 21 years, indicating quite big changes in the economic composition of UK manufacturing, energy consumption per unit of output has followed a decreasing trend except for a small dip in the financial crisis. In 2021 energy intensity of manufacturing was 0.9 percent lower than in 2020.

There have been quite large changes in the output of different industrial sectors over the last 21 years indicating significant changes in the composition of UK manufacturing. It is also worth noting that using GVA as a measured output for sectors may not show what kinds of products are being manufactured.

Energy consumption per unit of output stands at 61.3 percent of 2000 levels which could be attributable to increased process efficiency and changes in the mix of products being manufactured.

FIGURE 13

Services

Consumption of services increased by 1.0 mtoe (5.2 percent) between 2020 and 2021, following a decrease of 1.2 mtoe in the previous year. Just over half, 0.5 mtoe, of the increase came from gas.

Increase in energy consumption of gas, electricity, and petroleum in commercial services, Increased gas consumption in the public administration sector, and increased oil consumption in agriculture.

There was a sizable recovery of economic activity in the services sectors in 2021, 6.0 percent up in 2020 but still 3.8 percent down in 2019.

These changes in economic output have been closely matched by changes in energy consumption leaving energy consumption flat, which it has been since 2016.

FIGURE 15

FIGURE 14

FIGURE 16

Ways To Reduce Electricity Consumption

Switch off standby

Almost all electrical appliances can be turned off at the plug without upsetting their pro-gramming.

You may want to think about getting a standby saver or smart plug which allows you to turn all your appliances off standby in one go.

Turn off lights

Turn your lights off when you’re not using them or when you leave a room. This will save you around £25 (£12 in NI) a year on your annual energy bills.

Replacing all the lights in your home with LED bulbs could help you save even more.

Careful with your washing

You can save around £34 (£16 in NI) a year from your energy bill just by using your washing machine more carefully: Use your washing machine on a 30-degree cycle instead of higher temperatures.

Avoid the tumble dryer

Avoid using a tumble dryer for your clothes: dry clothes on racks inside where possible or outside in warmer weather to save £70 (£35 in NI) a year.

Be savvy in the kitchen

Kettles are one of the most used appliances in the kitchen. But many of us will admit that we at least occasionally boil the kettle with more water than we’re going to use.

Avoid overfilling the kettle and save yourself £13 (£6 in NI) a year on your electricity bill.

You could also consider fitting an aerator onto your existing kitchen tap to reduce the amount of water coming out without affecting how it washes or rinses.

An aerator is a small gadget with tiny holes – they attach to the spout of taps and are cheap and easy to install –and could save you £30 (£30 in NI) a year.

Design Proposal

A typical house in the UK consumes 2900 Killo Watt per hour of electricity in a year

The designer plans on designing an affordable household product that can track the 24x7 energy consumption of a household and provide average electricity consumed to ignite consciousness amongst its users. This product will be an analog energy monitoring device that can be easily installed in any home.

The device will track the energy consumption of all the 3 pin plug appliances and devices in the home 24x7, providing real time feedback to the user about their electricity usage.

The designer plans to make a sleek and modern design which blends with any home decor.

The device will have a user friendly interface that can be easily accessed allowing the users to view their electricity usage data, and print out receipts whenever required.

These reports will help consumers track their weekly average electricity consumption reports and progress towards their energy saving goals.

Users will also recieve alerts when they exceed their electricity usage limits on a particular device, encouraging them to be conscious regarding their energy consumption. The product will be priced competitively to ensure that it is accessible to most of the households in UK. Additionally, the energy conservation will help users save their money, which will make this device a beneficial investment for any home and empower them to take control over their energy usage.

In the past decade, households have consistently ranked as the largest electricity final users in the United Kingdom.

In 2022, average salary for a full time employ was £33,000 (£2750 per month) and part time employees £12,247 (£1020 per month).

In November 2022, average monthly electricity consumption in the UK amounted to 24.3 terawatt-hours. The average electricity bill for a 1 bedroom house being £65.13 per month, £96.36 for a 3 bedroom house and £136.07 per month for a 5 bedroom house.

Project Plan including design process methods:

Week 1: Research on electricity and its consumption and waste, brainstorming ideas

Week 2: Brainstorming ideas, Okti and initial ideas.

Week 3: Use of, Double Diamond and Good, Quick, and Cheap to analyse the idea, development based on feedback

Week 4: SWOT analysis, initial sketches, and renders

Week 5: Sketches, 3D renders, and Prototypes

IDEAS (OKti)

One thousand terrible ideas is a way through which designers can discover and create more ideas to face the design probem.

In this case the problem to be faced was Waste of Electricity and the designer thought of several ideas through which this problem of wastage of electricity can be reduced.

-Energy reserve system

-Card Game System That Disconnects the Device when overconsuming electricity

-Smart Thermostat

-Trading cards that show the energy consumption rating of each device inside the house

-Application to turn devices off when, not in use

-Smart Lighting System

-A device that disconnects all electrical devices when not in use (other than a refrigerator

-Smart Plugs

-Weekly Average Consumption Monitor

-Smart Solar Panels

-Smart Energy Storage Systems

-Applications that provide information about the most efficient time to consume electricity

-Efficiency monitor to show how efficient household devices are in consuming electricity

Most of these products related to smart energy focus on making a particular device a smart device and if all the smart energy devices are used together it will make a persons house a smart home.

Off

All these devices need to be purchased separately to make a change in energy consumption of a house.

Some of these devices need to installed by professionals and are connected to the Wi-Fi sytems of the household which also consumes electricity.

Pros And Cons

1.Smart Thermostats:

Cost: Smart thermostats can be more expensive than traditional thermostats, which may make them less accessible to some homeowners.

Compatibility: Smart thermostats may not be compatible with all types of heating and cooling systems, which can limit their usefulness.

Learning curve: Smart thermostats may require a learning curve to use effectively, which may be challenging for some consumers.

2. Smart Lighting Systems:

Cost: Smart lighting systems can be more expensive than traditional lighting systems, which may be a barrier to adoption for some consumers.

Complexity: Smart lighting systems can be more complex to install and set up than traditional lighting systems, which may require the help of a professional electrician.

Compatibility: Smart lighting systems may not be compatible with all types of light bulbs and fixtures, which can limit their usefulness.

3.Smart Plugs:

Compatibility: Smart plugs may not be compatible with all types of appliances and devices, which can limit their usefulness.

Cost: Smart plugs can be more expensive than traditional plugs, which may be a barrier to adoption for some consumers.

Reliance on technology: Smart plugs are reliant on technology to function, which means that they may be vulnerable to malfunctions and glitches.

4.Smart Solar:

Cost: Smart solar panels can be more expensive than traditional solar panels, which may make them less accessible to some homeowners.

Maintenance: Smart solar panels may require more frequent maintenance, which can be costly and time-consuming.

Reliance on technology: Smart solar panels are reliant on technology to function, which means that they may be vulnerable to malfunctions and glitches..

5.Smart Energy Storage Systems:

Cost: Smart energy storage systems can be expensive, which may make them less accessible to some homeowners.

Space: Smart energy storage systems may require a significant amount of space, which may be challenging for homeowners with limited space.

Maintenance: Smart energy storage systems may require more frequent maintenance than traditional energy storage systems, which can be costly and time-consuming.