UCLA, LADWP Highlight Energy Consumption Map

UCLA researchers introduced an interactive map Wednesday that shows Department of Water and Power customers the average amount of electricity by people in their neighborhoods over an 18-month period.

The map provides a tool for policymakers to analyze energy use throughout the city and offers a look at the progression of electricity usage by residents and businesses from January 2011 until June 2012 and connects that usage to income levels and the average age of buildings in any given census block in the city.

Click here to the see map and hover over your area, showing Brentwood and most Westside communities average anywhere from 500 to 7,000 kilowatt hours used.

Brentwood added an LADWP distribution station in the last several years to handle its load capacity.

On the map, details about whether the energy consumption occurred in a residential, commercial or industrial part of town can also be called up. UCLA researchers said the information will allow policymakers to determine where best to implement energy-efficiency programs.

"Residents and utilities have never had the capacity to look at energy like this before," according to Stephanie Pincetl, a professor at UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability.

DWP General Manager Ron Nichols said the public can use the map to "make smarter decisions about conservation, investment and planning."

By checking the map and comparing it to their bills, residents can see if they are using more or less power than their neighbors.

City officials have set a target to reduce electricity use by at least 10 percent by 2020.

"This is the first time that we're really able to see what consumption patterns are in the city," according to UCLA researcher and map creator Jacki Murdock. "It really helps reveal the connections between land use and energy demands, and can help decision-makers better plan the energy grid to address future demand."

The map was a collaboration by UCLA's California Center for Sustainable Communities, the DWP and the California Governor's Office of Planning and Research.

Pacific Palisades Patch: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates |