COVID-19 restrictions changing the daily patterns of energy consumption
- Savills and Pinergy partner to launch energy usage monitor
- Overall consumption by families is up about 11% with some up over 20%
- Early morning consumption reduces by as much as 30% as families get out of bed later
- Consumption at home during the working hours increases by 30%
- Restrictions promoting a better work-life-balance
Property advisor, Savills and smart energy company, Pinergy, have partnered to launch the Savills-Pinergy Energy Monitor, to study the impact of social distancing and stay at home measures on energy consumption. Results from the new Savills-Pinergy Energy Monitor highlight the impact that the latest Covid-19 restrictions are having on changing patterns of energy consumption in the home.
The first, in a series of analyses, was carried out for the month of March – comparing the first two weeks and the second two weeks using Pinergy smart meter data – and revealed the following:
- Overall consumption in family homes is up approximately 11% with some up by over 20%.
- The morning energy consumption peak has reduced by as much as 30% as people get out of bed later – with no commute to work, school, college – or elsewhere – required in the current environment.
- In the evening – post 6pm – consumption is down by between 10% and 20%, reflecting a return to the traditional 9 – 5 working day and families eating earlier with no commuting home required.
- In addition, people are going to bed earlier, with consumption remaining lower throughout the evening.
- However, working day consumption (9am – 5pm) is up by almost 30% during certain hours, as meetings take place virtually, and more time is spent at the computer and other devices.
- There has been a decrease in consumption amongst city dwellers (4.2%), young renters (12.2%) and Students (22.9%), with many moving back to the family-home in other parts of the country or overseas
According to Sharyn McAndrew, Head of Energy and Sustainability at Savills Ireland, the current restrictions are promoting a better work-life balance – albeit temporarily:
“In recent years, employers have looked at various ways to improve the wellness and work-life balance of their staff, but there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach. For many, the daily commute, school drop-offs, grocery shopping, dinner preparation – amongst others – leaves very little time for anything else. However, the data from Pinergy reveals a drastic change in working patterns over the past month – we are getting more sleep, we are less engaged in electronic devices in the evening, and hopefully getting more exercise. Going forward, the challenge for employers will be to ensure some of this new-found balance in our day can be maintained once the current restrictions come to an end.”
Peter Bastable, Director, Pinergy comments:
“We are delighted to partner with Savills in creating this Energy Monitor. We have all made drastic changes to our lifestyles in the last few weeks and this is reflected in our energy consumption patterns. More people are working from home than ever before. Families who may have been out of the house all day – with kids at school and parents at work – are now at home. Depending on how long restrictions go on for, we are likely to continue to see changing patterns of energy consumption.”
About the Savills / Pinergy Energy Monitor
Savills and Pinergy have partnered to present smart meter data on energy usage in homes across the country based on Pinergy’s data. For the first reading, we took a nationally representative sample of 500 homes across Ireland across a range of demographics and locations.