Sustainable cities – modelling urban energy supply and demand

A model of urban energy consumption has been developed using energy supply data and post-code information. The model simulates spatial and diurnal variations in energy demand, and also models the effect of energy-management measures and associated reductions in CO2 emissions. A linear programming optimisation module is used to identify the most cost-effective measures to achieve specified CO2 or energy reduction-targets. When combined with data from an associated attitudinal survey, the model can be used to assess the potential for CO2 reduction in the urban environment.