{"id":4053,"date":"2023-10-23T12:55:48","date_gmt":"2023-10-23T10:55:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nyheter.ntnu.no\/?p=4053"},"modified":"2024-02-22T14:26:28","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T13:26:28","slug":"wood-stoves-for-cutting-electricity-costs-and-preventing-unnecessary-power-grid-expansions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nyheter.ntnu.no\/en\/wood-stoves-for-cutting-electricity-costs-and-preventing-unnecessary-power-grid-expansions\/","title":{"rendered":"Wood Stoves for Cutting Electricity Costs and Preventing Unnecessary Expansions of the Electricity Grid"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

My PhD is part of the SusWoodStoves<\/a> project, and will aim to uncover a link between using wood stoves and cutting electricity power consumption on chilly days. The aim is to lower electricity bills and ease the load on the electricity grid. As electricity use increases in Norway due to more electric vehicles (EVs), finding a sustainable substitute for home heating becomes crucial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SusWoodStoves<\/h2>\n\n\t\t
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The SusWoodStoves<\/a> project objective is sustainable wood stoves through stove, building integration and value chain optimisation.<\/p>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\"wood
Wood stoves have a long tradition of heating households in Norway. With higher electricity bills and limits on the electricity grid, they might be more important. Photo: Colourbox.dk<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A viable alternative to preventing grid expansion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In electricity grids, the amount of electricity generated and distributed should equal exactly the electricity consumed, otherwise there is a risk of electricity supply disruption (brownout), and in the worst case a blackout. The grid capacity to distribute electricity is not infinite, it is designed to face the worst-case scenario, typically the maximum electric power needed by the end-users. The historical electric power from the end-users tends to increase progressively, year after year, so that the electricity grid is operated closer to its limit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wood stoves have relatively high heating power. If they are phased out, replacing them with electricity could lead to significant stress on the grid. If they are used in a good way, they can reduce the electric power, especially during the coldest days. In case, it would enable us to avoid reinforcing the electricity grid (or at least, enable reducing or postponing this large infrastructure investment).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wood Stoves as Possible Savers on Electricity Costs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Utility bills are calculated based on the energy use but also on the highest power peaks within the past month, using your hourly averaged power data. This means that your next month’s bill could spike if you create a significant peak, particularly during morning or evening hours, typically before and after work. This situation worsens if you charge your EV during the same period as peak household equipment usage. A wood stove can step in at such times, curbing space heating power consumption and sparing you from facing a hefty bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Exploring How It Functions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In this PhD project, my initial focus is on detailed measurements on few houses, where I measure:<\/p>\n\n\n\n