Electricity Consumption in Households

George Said Manager Environment and Resources Unit

This project has been part financed by the European Commission through Grant Agreement No. 30304.2009.003-2009.704

26 August 2011

Presentation Outline

1. Share of electricity consumption in Malta 2. Survey on quantity and type of appliances in households Methodology Results 3. Electricity consumption in households: technical survey

Share of Electrical Energy Consumption in Malta

Malta is almost totally dependent on electrical energy. The households sector is one of the largest users of energy in Malta with domestic consumption accounting for around 35 per cent of total electricity consumption.

Survey on Energy Consumption in Households

NSO commissioned a survey in 2010 on energy consumption among 1,500 households using CATI technology, in the course of which information was collected on household characteristics, type and number of appliances and consumption behaviour of household members. Subsequently, a subcontractor (AIS Ltd) complemented this with detailed technical information. This entailed the on-site measurement of energy consumed in households by means of attaching electrical energy consumption meters to the various appliances within: - Apartments and maisonettes - Terraced houses - Villas Households were also asked if they had solar water heaters, photovoltaic panels, micro turbines and energy saving lamps.

Appliances monitored
The following domestic appliances were monitored for their energy efficiency: Fridges/Freezers Cookers (Gas/Electric) Cooker hobs Microwave ovens Air conditioners Heaters (Gas/Electric) Water heaters Dishwashers Washing Machines Tumble dryers Television sets Computers/Laptops

CATI Survey Results: Appliances

Chart 1. Kitchen Appliances: Percentage of Total Households 120 100 80 Percent 60 40 20 0
rh ob s ob s w ith ou tf re ez er St an d al on e fre ez er ov en s Fr id ge s ov en s ov en s he rs co ok er h D is hw as co ok e f re ez er

99.93 87.15 72.16 56.87 34.43 13.59 14.89 18.18 37.47 85.43

El ec tri c

as

El ec tri c

M ic ro w av

as

Fr id ge s

w ith

Appliance Type

Fr id ge s

Heating/Cooling Appliances
Chart 2. Heating/Cooling Appliances : Percentage of Total Households 100 90 80 70 Percent 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
Air conditioning units Central heating units Electric w ater heaters Solar w ater heaters Gas heaters Electric heaters

90.50 77.35 58.40

32.66

9.28 0.87

Appliance Type

Other Appliances
Chart 3. Other Appliances: Percentage of total households 120 100 80 Percent 60 40 21.12 20 0 Televisions Computers/laptops Washing machines Tumble dryers Appliance Type 99.01 96.42

66.45

Energy-efficient Appliances in Maltese Households

Chart 4. Energy-efficient Appliances: Percentage of Total Households 40 35 30 Percent 25 20 15 10 5 0 Stand alone freezer Microwave Oven Airconditioner Oven Cooker hob Washing machine Fridge Dishwasher 5.74 0.87 6.95 4.49 6.92 3.06 25.13 35.08

Appliance Type

Renewable Technology in Maltese Households

Availability of renewable energy in households (%) Micro turbines Solar panels Solar water heaters 0.1 1.3 9.3

Use of Energy-saving Lamps in Maltese Households

Chart 5. Use of energy-saving lam ps by household size (%) 100 95.30 95 Percent 90 85 80 1 2 3 Household size 4 5+ 86.50 92.18 98.32 97.51

Technical Survey Results

Survey Methodology

The second part of the survey was subcontracted to AIS Ltd through a public call for tenders issued by NSO. This survey, conducted in the winter months, focused on the actual electrical consumption measurement of various appliances which were found in a sample of households which were randomly chosen. The survey duration for each household was 30 days and a detailed record of the electrical flow for each appliance was kept. Measurements were also taken for the main incomer.

Measuring Equipment and Installation Devices

Measuring equipment

Installation examples of the equipment for the measurement of the electricity flow

Average Daily Consumption

Table 1. Average Daily consumption in Units

Apartments Main Incomer 9.86

Maisonettes 10.76

Terraced Houses 11.02

Villas 12.72

Refrigeration Water Heating TV, HiFi and Computers Lighting and Other Minor Appliances

1.94 2.72 1.47 3.21 0.53

2.47 2.52 1.60 3.15 1.03

2.51 2.87 1.45 3.69 0.51

2.46 2.53 1.10 4.27 2.36

Usage of Electrical Water Heaters

Table 2. Water heaters switched on/off or on at all times: Percentage Household Size On and off according to use On at all times 1 86.56 13.44 2 83.10 16.90 3 71.83 28.17 4 74.86 25.14 5+ 72.67 27.33 Total 78.30 21.70

Chart 6. Water Heater Electrical Consumption Trend by Household Size

0.8 0.7 0.6 No. of Units 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0
:0 0 :0 0 :0 0 :0 0 :0 0 :0 0 :0 0 :0 0 :0 0 :0 0 :0 0 :0 0 :0 0 :0 0 :0 0 :0 0 :0 0 :0 0 :0 0 :0 0 :0 0 :0 0 21 23 :0 0 19 00 10 17 15 13 08 11 12 01 04 06 02 03 05 07 09 16 14 22 18 00 20 :0 0 :0 0

Time of day

1 Person Household

2 Person Household

3 Person Household

4 Person Household

Apartments
Refrigeration (Fridges and Freezers) 19.65% Kettle 0.61% Lighting and Other 32.56% Dishw ashers 0.00%

Pool Pump 0.00%

Electric Ovens and Hobs 2.57% Microw ave Ovens 0.28%

Solar Heating 0.00% Tumble Dryer 0.00% Washing Machines 1.88% Computers 2.99% Hi-Fi Equipment 0.00% Televisions 11.93% Airconditioning 0.00%

Water Heating 27.54% Space Heating (non A/C) 0.00%

Maisonettes
Refrigeration (Fridges and Freezers) 22.92% Lighting and Other 29.26%

Kettle 0.79%

Pool Pump 0.00% Dishw ashers 0.91% Electric Ovens and Hobs 1.83%

Solar Heating 0.45% Tumble Dryer 0.58% Washing Machines 2.43%

Microw ave Ovens 0.65%

Computers 5.51% Hi-Fi Equipment 0.10% Televisions 9.22%

Airconditioning 0.62%

Space Heating (non A/C) 1.30%

Water Heating 23.44%

Terraced Houses
Refrigeration (Fridges and Freezers) 22.77% Kettle 1.27%

Lighting and Other 33.44%

Pool Pump 0.00% Tumble Dryer 0.00% Solar Heating 0.00% Washing Machines 2.27% Computers 4.51% Hi-Fi Equipment 0.01%

Dishw ashers 0.00% Electric Ovens and Hobs 0.51%

Microw ave Ovens 0.55%

Water Heating 26.04% Televisions 8.61% Airconditioning 0.00% Space Heating (non A/C) 0.01%

Villas
Refrigeration (Fridges and Freezers) 19.35%

Lighting and Other 33.57%

Kettle 1.49% Dishw ashers 0.00% Electric Ovens and Hobs 2.83% Microw ave Ovens 0.54%

Pool Pump 8.04% Water Heating 19.87% Space Heating (non A/C) 2.82% Airconditioning 0.00%

Tumble Dryer 0.18% Solar Heating 0.00% Washing Machines 2.61% Computers 1.31% Hi-Fi Equipment 0.18% Televisions 7.19%

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Overall Maltese Households

Refrigeration (Fridges and Freezers) 21.65% Lighting and Other 32.08% Kettle 1.11% Dishw ashers 0.28% Electric Ovens and Hobs 1.70% Pool Pump 1.97% Tumble Dryer 0.23% Solar Heating 0.14% Washing Machines 2.36% Computers 3.88% Water Heating 23.88% Space Heating (non A/C) Airconditioning 1.10% 0.19% Microw ave Ovens 0.55%

Hi-Fi Equipment 0.08%

Televisions 8.80%

Thank you

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Methodological Note on the Survey: Electricity Consumption in Households

The main objective of the scientific survey, part financed by an EU grant, was to develop detailed data on energy consumption trends for Maltese households. The initial process was carried out by the NSO. A survey among 1,500 randomly-selected households was conducted, where information on household characteristics, the type and number of appliances, and consumption behaviour of household members was collected. This process was conducted during the summer months last year through a telephone interview using CATI technology, and took three weeks to complete. Data were extracted from the CATI system for analysis. By end-September 2010, all the information required from this interviewing process was concluded. The second part of the project involved the on-site measurement of electricity consumed in households by means of attaching electrical energy consumption meters to the various appliances. This technical survey was subcontracted to AIS Ltd., and was carried out in the winter of 2010/2011. Measuring equipment was installed in different household types, namely apartments/maisonettes, terraced houses and villas. Information was also collected on the type and age of appliances in use. Sixty-one households across Malta accepted to participate in providing electricity consumption data of their appliances. In every residence, the subcontractor ensured that there was no obstacle, physical or logistical, preventing the success of the survey itself. A stock-take of existing appliances within the households was carried out. The subcontractor then proceeded to attach the measuring devices to the appliances. These devices varied according to whether the appliance was a plug-in device or a permanently-connected one. In the latter case, a device with a current transformer (CT) was used. A special tamper-proof sticker was applied to the device controls in order to ensure trustworthy readings. The subcontractor also took note of the individual meter serial numbers, leaving the instruments in a logging state. The meters allowed for the measurement of the total electricity consumption (in kWh) of a particular appliance over a time span of 30 days. Two types of meters were used in the survey. The plug-in type meter allowed plug-in appliances to be monitored without modification to their wiring. These were ideal for kettles, irons and TV sets, among others. The other type employed a clip-on current transformer (CT), which is able to measure the electrical current on permanently-connected appliances without physical modifications or disconnections. Such appliances would include air conditioners and water heaters. Commercially-available instruments that are suitable for domestic use were employed in respect of both meter types. All instruments were tested for consistency prior to use. The attachments of these meters to specific appliances did not at all affect the electricity consumption of the sampled households. The survey results enabled the formation of a model of electricity consumption in the households, on the basis of the collected data.

For further details, please contact Mr George Said on 2599 7301 or george.said@gov.mt

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