Predicting key features of a substation without monitoring

Understanding domestic electricity consumption behaviour is very important for planners and operators of electrical networks. Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) are installing monitoring devices at the low-voltage (LV) substation level. However, monitoring devices need to be allocated with consideration. This paper seeks to quantify the relationship between key information from a substation electricity profile, and the type of properties it supplies. Often the number of properties is the most significant predictor for key substation features. Additionally, the proportion of properties which are small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) affects nearly all key features considered: from the overall load mean and variance, to the annual trend, to peak behaviour. Knowing substation key features is of direct use, for example where to prioritise monitoring. However we also demonstrate how these key features can be used within a so-called ‘buddying’ framework to estimate the load every half-hour for individual properties.