Electricity demand profiles represent how electricity consumption varies over time. Accurate profiles are critical for capturing the operational behaviour of the system and ensuring a reliable, cost-effective energy supply.

Key characteristics include:

  • Temporal resolution: Profiles may be hourly, sub-hourly (e.g. every 15 or 5 minutes), daily, weekly, or seasonal

  • Shape:

    • Daily peaks: typically in the morning and evening.
    • Seasonal variation: higher demand in summer (cooling) or winter (heating).
    • Base load: the steady, minimum level of demand.

Factors influencing demand:

  • Weather conditions (temperature, humidity, solar irradiance).
  • Economic activity (industrial and commercial usage).
  • Human behaviour (residential patterns).
  • Daylight hours (affecting lighting needs).
  • Holidays and weekends.

Data sourcing standards for current and future electricity demand profiles are detailed below.

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Data sourcing standards – demand profiles

Input variableModel typeGold standard
(’best in class’)		Silver standard
(‘Good’)		**Bronze standard **
(‘Publishable’)
Demand profiles - currentCE & UDHourly data from data owner by sector and zoned location in the highest resolution. Available for reference year e.g. (2023)Shape of the demand at the national-level synthetically generated from any year (e.g. 2015 when our reference is 2023)Profile is generated using a profile from a proxy country.
Demand profiles - futureCE & UDShape of the demand profile changes based on weather (linked) and degree of electrification. Synthetic methodology applied (TBD).Shape of the demand profile changes based on weather year only (linked).Shape of the demand profile does not change in the future.