Faculty of Science and Technology

Reducing and managing energy demand is a crucial objective for energy and climate policy. In this presentation I will introduce the objectives and distinctive focus of a new cross-Faculty, RCUK funded research centre to be based at the University which will pursue a 5 year interdisciplinary research programme in collaboration with 7 other University partners and EDF R&D's European Centre and Labs for Energy Efficiency Research based in Paris.

The DEMAND Centre (Dynamics of Energy, Mobility and Demand) will take a distinctive approach to end use energy demand, recognising that energy is not used for its own sake but as part of accomplishing social practices at home, at work and in moving around. In essence the Centre focuses on what energy is for. This approach generates an ambitious research agenda that is crucial for organisations involved in demand management and in radically reconfiguring infrastructures, buildings and transport systems in line with greenhouse gas emissions targets. While greater efficiency is important, the trend is often towards more resource intensive standards of comfort, convenience and speed. The problem is that we lack a sophisticated understanding of how these trends take hold and of the underlying dynamics of demand itself. In focusing on how demand is made and met, the Centre will work across the sectoral boundaries of mobility and building-related energy use to take forward a wide-ranging agenda for future research and policy.