Back to Right Light Proceedings startpage
Sarita BartlettShedding Light on Residential Consumers Central Bureau of Statistics, Norway Abstract Most of the estimates of the annual average electricity use for residential lighting purposes range from 10 to nearly 25 percent of the total electricity use in the residential sectors of industrial countries. Many of these estimates have in turn been based upon estimates of the number of lamps owned by households, the average wattage of these lamps and the households' utilization of their lamps (measured in hours per year). These estimates, in many instances, have been inferred from lamp sales data or consumer expenditure surveys and assumptions regarding the households' utilization of their lamps. In other instances, the estimates have been constructed from the use of the "residual" or "cohort" method. Unfortunately, the reliability of these estimates is questionable. Only a few of the published data have been based upon metered household energy use data and/or an analysis of the households' use of lighting. In spite of the uncertainties surrounding the majority of these estimates, numerous utility companies, throughout the world, have launched residential energy-efficient lighting programs. In terms of program participation rates, many of these programs have been "surprisingly" successful. the households' substitution of incandescent lamps for compact fluorescent lamps will reduce the demand for electricity for lighting purposes (measured in Watts), if the households' behavior remains unchanged. However, the time period in which these savings will occur, remains, in most cases, uncertain due to the uncertainties in the households' utilization of both incandescent and compact fluorescent lamps. This paper presents a study of the use of lighting in the residential sector and develops a framework in which the demand for electricity for lighting purposes can be estimated. It is shown that the households' behavior is as important as the characteristics of the dwellings in which they live. Whenever possible, the differences and similarities in the households' use of lighting and their electricity use for lighting purposes among countries are presented. A better understanding of the households' use of lighting will yield more accurate estimates of the electricity used for lighting purposes. These estimates, and a better understanding of household behavior, will enable planners to develop forecasting models and design or "fine-tune" energy-efficient lighting programs or other conservation programs directed at this end use.
|