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Our Research Themes

The work carried out by CEE typically falls into three research themes and four broad methodologies. These themes will support focused, high-impact research projects that combine models (simple and complex) and data in innovative ways across the following sectors to address specific problems. These are as follows:

  • Domestic Buildings – Research involving homes and the people who own and live in them
  • Non Domestic Buildings  – Research involving commercial and public sector buildings and the people who own and work in them
  • Transport – Research involving vehicles, travel by land air or sea and those that use them

 Our Methodologies

  1. Metrology – Monitoring and Uncertainty. Little systematic research has been done into the performance of instruments used in the collection of energy and energy related data. This theme will review available research, publish a comprehensive analysis of metrological constraints on research, and propose objectives and lines of enquiry for future programmes.
  2. Data Framework – This theme will be the largest in the Programme. It will involve developing systems to match millions of data points. This theme will build on the EPSRC data framework projects (EP/H021957/1, EP1038810-1) with new transport data sets, maintained in a secure and ethically appropriate state of the art database structure.
  3. Analysis – The first data framework project has clearly demonstrated the usefulness of results and challenges posed by the analysis and interpretation of energy data. Analysis techniques for such large data sets are far less developed in the area of EUED than in other disciplines. Maximising the value of data will require us to use cutting-edge techniques for data handling and analysis.
  4. Theory and Modelling – We propose to develop a range of new models and test their usefulness. For example, we will build on the work of PEB: D3 (EP/H051112/1) which has been developing top-down empirically based models using Bayesian methods and dynamic models. Where appropriate we will integrate model development with developments such as the DECC National Household Model, working with DECC and their contractors.

 Our Research Questions

  1. Can we map all the variables that impact on end-use energy demand and likely future changes in end-use energy demand?
  2. What is the relationship between energy demand in the building and the transport sectors?
  3. What is the detailed three-dimensional and physical character of the non-domestic building stock of the UK at the level of individual premises?
  4. Can the Operational Energy Use of Commercial Buildings in the UK be collected to inform the development of energy performance benchmarks and ratings systems for such buildings?
  5. What are the opportunities for employing sensors in freight transportation systems to explore the key distributional characteristics of the UK freight transportation system in terms of demand (tons shipped) and supply (speed, load factor, vehicle trips and distances, energy use, etc.) with respect to distance and other determinants?
  6. What energy efficiency technologies are being retrofitted by which companies and how does this effect energy demand?
  7. What is the prevalence of high/low home heating energy users in England and how has this changed over the past 10 years?
  8. What do we know about the impact that housing stock permeability has on energy demand and IAQ?
  9. What is the relationship between the regularity of daily load profile and responsiveness to time of use tariff?
  10. What is the relationship between measured space heating demand and measured temperature and what effect do dwelling and household characteristics have?
  11. What is the role of modelling in Energy Epidemiology?
  12. How can we capture and minimise the impact of measurement uncertainty?
  13. What is best practice for conducting systematic reviews of evidence related to End Use Energy Demand?
  14. Can a simulation-based non-domestic stock model be developed to perform scenario analyses for new technologies and policies?