Changes in energy use profiles derived from electricity smart meter readings of residential buildings in Milan before, during and after the COVID-19 main lockdown

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on society, causing changes in various aspects of people's lives, including their energy use habits. This has prompted a need for checking and updating standard energy use profiles, particularly for residential electricity use. To address this topic, a study was conducted on 24 multifamily buildings in Milan, using clustering to extract patterns from a database of quarter-hourly electricity use data from 2019 to 2020. This study found an increase in electricity usage during the COVID-19 lockdown period for residential buildings, likely associated with the imposed restrictions. The research also highlighted a shift in energy usage from the morning peak to the central hours of the day during the working days of the lockdown period, while a gradual increase in electricity usage throughout the day and no morning peak was observed during the Autumn (post-COVID) period. The findings can assist regulators and businesses in weighing the benefits and drawbacks of remote working and provide modellers with a complete set of daily load profiles for an Italian residential case study.