The weather impacts energy consumption in several ways. This article will explore the impact of different variables including temperature, humidity, precipitation and wind on residential electricity consumption.
Sunshine sensitivities reveal that households may be less flexible in their activities/routines on workday mornings. However, on weekends the positive effects of longer sun duration reflect that households are likely to carry out outdoor chores.
Temperature
The temperature of your home is a key factor in your energy usage, and part of infrastructure maintenance. High temperatures increase the demand for air conditioning and other cooling devices, while low temperatures decrease it. However, the effect of temperature varies across households. For example, households with elderly people or children will use more power to maintain a comfortable indoor temperature than those without them.
Moreover, the effect of weather on electricity consumption changes over time. The reason is that the energy consumption of households differs based on their lifestyle and activities, which in turn change with the weather conditions. In addition, tariff structures and household composition also influence energy usage. The results of this study show that a better understanding of household behaviour and life pattern is crucial for designing efficient tariff structures.
The analysis uses half-hourly electricity consumption data from 3827 households using smart metering over one year, aggregated into daily consumption for each period of the day. The data are analysed by using fixed-effects models that control for unobserved household-specific effects. The model includes five meteorological indicators (temperature deviation, sunshine, wind speed, humidity, and precipitation) along with month and day dummies; year-by-month dummies; county-by-year dummies; and household fixed effects.
Temperature is a major energy factor and, as the climate changes, extreme high temperatures are projected to increase further. In addition, heat waves will become more frequent and last longer while colder days will be less common. The impact of these changes on your homes energy usage will be significant.
It is important to consider the effects of different weather factors on electricity usage and tariff structure design. Specifically, a greater understanding of how households react to varying weather conditions can help to improve efficiency in the use of household appliances and reduce energy costs.
In this study, the analysis of sensitivity to energy variables on a period-of-day basis provides valuable insights. For instance, the negative sensitivity to sunshine indicates that households are less flexible in leaving the house during good weather, whereas the positive sensitivity to rain indicates that households tend to go out more during bad weather.
Humidity
Humidity is a measure of the amount of water vapor present in the air. It is typically reported on a relative basis. The higher the humidity, the more moisture in the air and the warmer it will feel. Humidity impacts air temperature in two ways: Firstly, water vapor in the atmosphere contains “latent heat” that is released during evaporation. This cooling effect compensates for roughly 70% of the average net radiative warming at Earth’s surface.
Secondly, as the atmosphere becomes more saturated with moisture, it will have a tendency to rise by natural convection. This is a key mechanism behind thunderstorms and other weather phenomena. As such, humidity is often cited in weather forecasts and reports as an indicator of the likelihood of dew or fog.
High humidity can make the air feel warmer, leading to increased use of air conditioning and consequently higher energy consumption. Conversely, low humidity might increase heating demand during colder weather because drier air feels cooler than moist air. The proper management of indoor humidity allows you to maintain a comfortable “feels like” temperature while minimizing HVAC energy use and lowering your overall electricity bills.
Our analyses showed that electricity demand varies throughout the day and is dependent on a range of factors, including humidity, temperature, precipitation, and wind speed. The varying patterns of these factors illustrate that a holistic approach to energy usage is needed for optimal efficiency and savings.
For example, while sunshine has a positive impact on residential electricity demand, it is more effective at influencing demand during certain periods of the day, such as 10:00-12:00 and 15:00-17:00. These differences may reflect households’ daily activities, such as household chores and cooking, and their receptiveness to good weather conditions.
Precipitation
The weather is a significant driver of energy consumption. Variations in temperature and humidity lead to variations in heating and air conditioning use. These in turn drive fluctuations in electricity demand. Rain and cloud cover is another important variable that can impact household behaviour.
The evaporation of water vapor into clouds results in precipitation, which can be in the form of sleet, snow, rain or hail. The type of precipitation that falls depends on the moisture source and the atmospheric circulation system. Normally, moisture is transported by winds around high and low pressure systems to the inland regions from the oceans and Gulf of Mexico. This moisture can then be lifted by convection when it encounters an elevated landform like a mountain barrier, and rises until it cools below its dew point, resulting in the formation of clouds or cumulonimbus that lead to stormy conditions.
Alternatively, rain can be caused by convection when air masses are moving over the surface of the earth and encountering cold fronts. Convective precipitation is a common feature of summer storms in tropical and temperate zones.
Rainfall can also be caused by orographic precipitation, which occurs when a mass of humid air moves over a high landform and forces it up against a mountain barrier. This causes the air to cool below its dew point and condensate, forming vertical clouds or cumulonimbus that lead into thunderstorms.
All plants require some amount of rain to survive and a regular rainfall pattern is vital to agriculture. However, too much rain can cause flooding and erosion. Conversely, too little rain can lead to drought and harm crops.
Using half-hourly electricity usage data collected from 3827 households over one year, we compared electricity consumption across different periods of the day (6:00-12:00 and 17:00-21:00). We controlled for the effect of household-specific factors and applied autoregressive models to control for lagged effects. We found that there were significant differences in the electricity consumption of households between weekends and workdays, with the most noticeable difference occurring at 6:00-12:00 on weekdays. We also found that sun duration had a positive influence on electricity consumption on the weekend, suggesting that households were more willing to carry out chores in the sun than during workdays.
Wind
Wind is the natural flow of air that is created when pockets of the Earth’s craggy surface heat up at different rates. This uneven heating causes air to move from areas of high pressure to areas of low pressure, and it is this movement that creates wind. Wind is strong enough to whisk birds through the sky, drive sailboats across oceans, and turn the blades of large wind turbines, which generate electricity.
During the day, wind is caused by differences in the way land and water absorb the sun’s heat. Air over land heats up faster than air over water, which causes it to expand and rise. This process is reversed at night, when air cools down faster over land than over water. This daily cycle creates the wind that blows on our planet.
The impact of wind on household energy consumption varies according to the time of day, with higher winds in the evening leading to a reduction in electricity demand for air conditioning. Similarly, lower wind speeds during the day result in increased electricity demand for lighting and other appliances that require cooling.
Our model also takes into account the weather variables’ interaction with each other. For example, while temperature has robust and flat effects on electricity demand across all periods, rainfall and sunshine have more complex interactions with households’ behaviour. Sunshine sensitivity decreases from 10:00-12:00 and increases during the two periods 15:00-17:00 and 21:00-22:00, which may reflect households’ propensity to carry out electricity-intensive activities outside in these periods. In contrast, rainfall sensitivities increase from the morning period (8:00-10:00) and are insignificant for the late nights, which may suggest that households are more likely to stay indoors during rainy days.
While wind power can be a great choice for homeowners, it is important to consider the environmental impacts of installing these devices. The upfront cost of a residential wind system can be a significant barrier, but many states offer financial incentives for renewable energy home improvements, including property assessed clean energy (PACE) programs. The benefits of PACE include a fast return on investment and reduced maintenance costs. Additionally, homeowners who live near wind farms may experience concerns like shadow flicker and noise. However, dozens of studies have found no evidence that these impacts are harmful to human health.
