A study of seven low-carbon homes in Birmingham found that their combined peak electricity demand was much lower than the total capacity allowed for in their design. The result adds real-world evidence to discussions about electrifying home heating.
The research, published in Energy and Buildings in October 2025, analysed a full year of electricity data. Researchers examined heating performance, solar generation and peak demand in homes equipped with heat pumps and photovoltaic panels.
Measured diversified peak demand was 14.6% of total design capacity. “Diversified” matters here: the measure considers demand across homes together, rather than assuming every appliance reaches its maximum at the same moment. It is not a claim that every household used 85.4% less electricity over the year.
Heating and cooking together accounted for more than 80% of peak power. On average, the homes used 65% of the solar electricity they generated. The authors argued that occupancy patterns and measured demand should inform network planning alongside theoretical equipment capacity.
The homes form part of Project 80 at Eco Drive in Handsworth. Birmingham City University’s earlier project account explains that Midland Heart and construction partners developed the homes as a demonstrator for the anticipated Future Homes Standard. Residents first moved in during June 2022.
That wider programme combined sensor readings with resident interviews. Its purpose included learning how people adapt to new heating technologies, as well as testing the buildings themselves. The project’s early references to a proposed 2025 standard should be read in their historical context.
Seven properties cannot represent every new development or existing home. The study nevertheless provides a useful example of why installed power ratings and actual simultaneous demand are different measures.
For future housing projects, it raises a practical question: how can evidence from occupied homes improve the assumptions used before construction? That is a planning insight from this case study, rather than a guarantee about any particular household’s bill or local network.