Rajat Gupta and Matt Gregg
August 2023
This report presents the use of an innovative local area energy mapping approach (LEMAP) to map baseline energy
demand, low carbon resources, technical and social capabilities, and potential for low carbon technologies (LCTs)
in Eynsham, Oxfordshire, as part of Project LEO, one of the smart local energy demonstrators. Building the LEMAP
tool involved the assessment of 69 datasets covering GIS boundary definitions, socioeconomic conditions, and
energy consumption, among others. A suitability assessment evaluated the existing building related characteristics
for deployment of LCTs. The capability assessment added technical and socio-economic data to identify how likely
households are to adopt LCTs. Results show that Eynsham had high mean annual electricity and medium-high
mean annual gas consumption from 2015-19. However there was an 8% and 4% reduction in electricity and gas
consumption respectively over the period. The potential for deploying heat pumps in Eynsham area was found to
be high. Technical, financial, and social capabilities of the area were found to be moderate. Digital capability was low
indicating need for training in using smart energy technologies. The combined mapping of technical suitability and
capability assessment is intended to help community energy project developers, local authorities, and community
groups to plan for appropriate local and smart energy initiatives.