Examining electricity demand profiles to inform sustainable on-site construction practices

As the construction sector takes greater responsibility as a significant contributor to climate change, all stages of the project can deliver sustainability measures. On-site construction electricity demands are poorly understood but deserve detailed consideration in the construction life cycle. Therefore, this study aims to better understand electricity usage on construction sites. This was achieved by monitoring electricity consumption on two case study sites in Ireland. The main novelty of the work arises from the detailed submetering, which allows electricity usage to be analysed over time and across site activities. The initial key finding shows a significant baseline, or out-of-hours demand, estimated at 48% of the total electricity consumption, representing an opportunity to implement interventions to reduce demand. The first case study site presented a strong correlation ( ρ = 0.81) between hours worked and power consumption. The peak demands were associated with the building fit out and commissioning phases of project delivery. For the second site, submetering offered additional data insights, capturing the demands of site closures and contributions of tower cranes and drying rooms. The results shows how electricity consumption patterns vary during on-site construction, and provides a benchmark for future research on sustainable construction practices.