When the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March of 2020, the Northwest End Use Load Research (EULR) project was already tracking energy use in over 200 homes and eight commercial buildings across the region. This coincidental timing gives the region an unprecedented window into the pandemic’s direct impact on energy use in the Northwest.
Comprised of two studies—the residential Home Energy Metering Study (HEMS) and the Commercial Energy Metering Study (CEMS)—the EULR project is collecting continuous energy consumption data at the circuit level from residential and commercial buildings for up to five years. In March of 2020, NEEA suspended all new commercial installations and prevented new residential installations from restarting after their winter season hiatus due to COVID-19. Despite suspending installations, the 200 homes are continuously and anonymously reporting loads at 1-minute intervals.
