Household electricity use patterns and socio-demographic challenges in a highly electrified energy market: Evidence from 366,439,750 days of household electricity use patterns in Australia

Electrifying the energy market contributes to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 7 (affordable and clean energy) and 13 (climate action), but it comes with unique challenges. Focusing on Australia as an example of a highly electrified market – world-leading in rooftop solar photovoltaic systems – we analyse smart-metered household electricity consumption in the state of Queensland to identify five distinct household electricity use patterns. We then assign 366,439,750 use days of 1,097,125 households to those patterns to derive household market segments with distinct electricity use and socio-demographic characteristics. Segment profiles show that the benefits of rooftop photovoltaics are asymmetrically leveraged by the population. Households with photovoltaic systems and daytime valley use typically live in their own house and report a high education and income level. Households without photovoltaics and consistent electricity use all day buy most electricity from the grid; they are more likely to rent, live in apartments and report lower income and education levels. Regulatory modifications can make the cost-saving benefits of solar systems available to a wider section of the community, while also contributing to carbon emissions reduction via an increase in renewable energy.