Developing innovative technologies that will help to reduce UK emissions and lower the amount of energy demanded by both industrial and domestic end users.

Ningbo city 2

End Use Energy Demand is focused on providing energy in a particular way that ensures that demand is met in an efficient, low carbon manner

Our Key Priorities

Community Energy Schemes

The  Trent Basin Community Energy Scheme in Nottingham provides an experimental environment on a large urban regeneration site. This Community Energy demonstrator helps to understand where and how efforts should be focused to reduce energy usage. It aims to increase domestic energy efficiency and energy security through smart technologies and innovation. The development currently comprises Europe's largest community battery and solar photovoltaics that will generate, store and distribute energy at a neighbourhood level.

Energy Efficiency in the Built Environment

People using energy in the Built Environment is a significant contributor to greenhouse gases, with the energy use within buildings in the UK accounting for over 50% of CO2 emissions. How existing buildings have to be adapted to become more energy efficient is now a major challenge. Addressing the issues of fuel poverty in some sectors in society, reduction of the national energy demand for heating, and increasingly cooling, are all key future challenges. 

 

Heating & Cooling

CO2 emissions from domestic heating represents 15% of the UK's greenhouse gas emissions. Hence any technology that helps to address this is a key enabler for future CO2 reductions. A heat pump uses energy to heat a house with more than 100% ‘efficiency’ by pulling in heat from the outside air or the ground. Heat pumps, which are predominantly electric or gas driven, have 30-40% less fuel consumption, running costs and emissions but are not currently capable of being considered to be direct replacements for gas boilers. Warwick, Loughborough and Birmingham have leading expertise in thermal energy.

Transport

With greenhouse gas emissions from transport representing over 20% of total UK domestic emissions, decarbonising transport must be part of any end user energy demand solution. Across the ERA institutions, investment in many different low carbon transportation options are taking place, including propulsion technology for hybrid and electric vehicle applications in the automotive industry to hydrogen storage and biomass and waste conversion. ERA partners have significant capability in technologies to reduce the carbon impact associated with different forms of transport.

energy-use

Cities represent three quarters of energy consumption worldwide.

The UK has a stock of aging and poorly insulated homes that significantly increase energy use.

Why energy use matters

Despite best intentions, current demand and the need to ensure energy security will see the UK continue to rely on fossil fuel resources for some time. This means that work to find cleaner and more efficient methods of using conventional fuels and research into capturing and storing the resulting carbon is vital. ERA is looking to draw on the expertise of its world class research base and physical ERA facilities to find low carbon solutions for both individual energy consumers and industry.

Back to Capabilities and Expertise.

Energy Use

Innovate UK
Aston University University of Birmingham British Geographical Survey University of Leceister Loughborough University Midlands Innovation University of Nottingham University of Warwick