We propose an End Use Energy Demand (EUED) Centre focused on Energy Epidemiology to be located at the multidisciplinary UCL Energy Institute (UCL-Energy), which undertakes research on energy demand and energy systems. Energy Epidemiology uses data and modelling to study energy use in the real world, with the aim of understanding the interactions of policy, technology, infrastructure, people and culture. The Centre for Energy Epidemiology (CEE) will: undertake primary data collection; advise on data collection; provide secure and ethical curation of a wealth of administrative, commercial and research data; link, develop and use innovative research methods; and support a structured research programme on energy demand intended to achieve a major reduction in UK carbon emissions. CEE will provide key research and policy insights at city, regional, national and international levels. It will support UK academics, policymakers and industry to research energy demand, by providing a cost-effective, secure and ethical bureau service for energy and related data. It will work closely with the new cross-government Energy Efficiency Deployment Office (EEDO) of DECC, the Energy Saving Trust, UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) and the new Open Data Institute (ODI) to marshal and maximise the value of existing and very large future sources of energy-related data ('big data'), ensuring the greatest impact for evidence-based energy demand research. The Centre will initiate and be a key player in an international network of energy epidemiologists, sharing research methods and undertaking cross-cultural comparisons of policies and technologies to reduce energy demand and to help the UK to meet its carbon targets.

UCL-Energy:

- has a clear focus on energy demand and its interaction with energy supply systems - this has been the core focus of UCL-Energy since its launch, with full UCL support, 35 months ago.

- is multi- and interdisciplinary with lawyers, economists, social scientists, engineers, physicists, psychologists, architects, mathematicians and policy analysts co-located in open plan offices facilitating collaborative work. It has successfully worked with researchers from anthropology, English literature and history on energy demand problems.

- makes an impact by supporting policy makers and industry to both set and achieve UK carbon targets. Examples of such support include the Green Deal, CCC budgets, smart meter rollout, and the development of products for reducing energy demand. UCL-Energy is the only university centre that has officially advised DECC's new EEDO, whose focus is squarely on EUED.

- undertakes research of the highest quality; its staff were recognised as "world leading" by two successive EPSRC Platform Grant reviews. Roughly half its staff were submitted in the Built Environment UoA (30), for which UCL received the highest percentage (35%) of internationally leading staff (4*) in the UK. It holds the grant for the only Centre for Doctoral Training in energy demand.

- is not sector-specific; it covers all energy uses and applies methods across sectors e.g. transport and buildings.

- is managed as a coherent centre - this is facilitated by placing all staff under a single budget centre with a clear management structure. UCL-Energy is advised and guided by a prestigious International Advisory Board with CEOs and directors from leading companies around the world.

- has leveraged a wide range of funding. From an initial UCL investment of £680k, it has so far raised £10m of external funding, including £2m from industry.

- has strong leadership - its Director, Professor Tadj Oreszczyn has established a new academic department at UCL in less than 3 years, advises government at senior level, is on the boards of key organisations and has written several strategic papers on the future direction of energy demand research.

- has critical mass and sustainability: UCL-Energy has 80 staff and PhD students

Potential Impact:
The ultimate beneficiaries of the research will be the general population due to reduced carbon emissions at reduced overall cost, and EUED industry through the development of better products and services. Reduced carbon emissions will occur as a result of the installation and use of efficient technologies and changes in behaviour supported by the introduction of appropriate policies. We have identified research that the centre will undertake which will directly impact on 70MtCO2e of emission: see Pathways to Impact statement. The largest impact will be in creating accountability for multi-£bn investments in energy efficiency in the UK, thereby helping government meet its long term carbon emission, energy security and fuel poverty targets, and helping to ensure that policies such as Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation deliver value for money. This impact will result from the use of an epidemiological framework, which will facilitate a robust empirical assessment of the impact of EUED technologies and policies on energy use, and through the provision of better models and understanding to support ongoing improvement in EUED technologies and policies.

Government, industry and the public are critical to delivering impact. Our key collaborators, providing regular access to data and pathways to impact, will be the Energy Efficiency Deployment Office (EEDO), the Energy Saving Trust (EST), UKERC, and other EUED centres. EEDO will provide the main channel for policy impact, and EST, NEF, TSB Catapults and KTNs the channel to industry and the public. In addition, CEE will directly engage the public. The UKERC Data Centre and the EUED centres will provide a route to academics.

In addition, we will work on specific projects with a wide range of industry and government departments many of whom already have a good track record of working with UCL: see letters of support e.g. European Investment Bank, OFGEM, CIBSE, DfT, Veolia, INTEL, CLG, EDF, Passivsystems, British Land, CISCO, MOD, IEA, UKGBC and Johnson Controls, as well as new collaborators such as NPL. Collaboration will be a two-way knowledge exchange process (e.g. industry knowledge to help access and understand data). Theme leaders will spend 20% of their time working with users to build pathways to impact assisted by the Centre Directors and Manager.

CEE will develop a range of mechanisms to facilitate pathways to impact. These include a Bureau Service, technology and policy specific workshops, KTPs, case studentships, staff internships in government and industry, responses to government consultations and general advice to government, annual reports, strategic papers, high profile public lectures, appearances in the media and a high-profile writer in residence (Duncan Clark, Guardian environment writer).

EUED carbon emissions are of international concern, so CEE will also develop pathways to international impact. These will be facilitated by close working relationships with the International Energy Agency (IEA) via participation in IEA Annexes, Programmes and Tasks, the European Union via membership of bodies such as the Scientific Council of the EU Energy Efficient Building (E2B) programme, and international organisations such as LBNL, Arup, INTEL and Johnson Controls. A key pathway to impact on overseas governments and international researchers will be via the establishment and operation of an International Energy Epidemiology Network. The Network already has potential partners in France, USA, Canada, Australia, Qatar, New Zealand, China, Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Greece and Nigeria, plus the IEA, allowing sharing of research methods and cross-cultural comparisons of policies and technologies to reduce energy demand. CEE will also provide an evidence base to international organisations such as UNEP, IEA, IMO and UNFCCC.

See Pathways to Impact and letters of support from 34 founding partners (providing £4.3m of support) for further details.