Eaglesham is a village about 6km south of Glasgow with a population of some 4000 people. The intriguing aspect of this site is the extremely low energy density, with only one school, two pubs and 1500 houses (predominantly in private ownership) spread over 2 square km. Also as the energy demand profiles will be lead by domestic usage by a huge margin the contrast with the University site should be interesting.
Facts & FiguresWith its close location to Glasgow and East Kilbride a large proportion of the population commute to work away from the village, but there will still be a substantial proportion "left behind" during the day.
Fig.1 Adult population classification
Looking at the figure below shows that about a quarter of the inhabitants are children of school age and although a substantial number of mothers are having to take part time employment there is a high probability that it will be in the vicinity. Within the adult population available for work the unemployment rate is just over 5%. All these factors contribute to a demand for heat & power during the day (this can also be justified by the fact that 19% of homes do not have a car).
Fig.2 Population by age group
With regards to services it would appear that the majority of the housing stock use gas as their primary heating source (ascertained by site survey) and we would assume that by default gas was used for cooking. The electricity infrastructure, so we have been informed, is quite robust and could tolerate a considerable amount of modification (i.e. export of energy & demand switching).
References1. 1991 Census Small Area Statistics, East Renfrewshire Council, Ward 10: Eaglesham, HMSO,
abridged by East Renfrewshire Council.
2. Ordnance Survey
Copyright © 1998 Balacó Guerra Parkin Simms Sousa