| Abstract |
The current geopolitical situation is certainly challenging the colossal transition to Zero carbon Economy. In fact, in the coming years, the electricity sector will have to find new innovative ways to meet the ever increasing need for energy without the over reliance on fossil fuels and their country of origin. Over the next decade, oil and gas boilers will not be permitted in new buildings in Ireland, in line with the Irish Building Regulations, Technical Guidance Document L Conservation of Fuel and Energy 2021. This is a major shift in traditional building services methodology and heat technology. In line with the European Union Green Deal, member states are developing and updating policies in an effort to foster this energy transition. The main areas of focus are the three pillars of energy and the associated carbon emissions; electricity, transport and heat. This paper aims to examine energy bills, electricity and gas, for a domestic family premises over a 24 month period. This data will allow the author to build a demand load profile model for the energy consumption and thus, forecast the transition to the electrification of building services. Today, the readily available solution on offer for industry are heat pumps (HP) which will allow the fuel source to move away from a carbon heavy source to a cleaner electricity source. This paradigm shift in thermal demand technology, to a decarbonised electricity source may place a large burden on the national electricity grid during peak demand times. Given the acute energy crisis being currently witnessed throughout Europe, this paper highlights the potential increased electricity bills that consumers might face while shifting to heat pumps. This paper's main findings are that without Demand Side Management (DSM) tools and smart services, such as smart meters and Time-of-Use (ToU) tariffs, consumers could face increased winter energy bills in the region of 184%. |
