Application of the k-means clustering method for the detection and analysis of areas of homogeneous residential electricity consumption at the Great La Plata region, Buenos Aires, Argentina

The present methodology becomes a plausible mechanism to use in the construction of urban energy scenarios, more precisely to determine areas with homogeneous consumption that can be described based on certain socio-demographic characteristics in what is called the “base year”. This study allowed to identify eight homogeneous areas of electricity consumption and their associated characteristics such as rooms per home, people per home, percentage of homes with unsatisfied basic needs, gas network coverage, housing typologies and quality of construction. In this way, we were able to obtain valuable information that allows to propose energy efficiency strategies and to incorporate renewable energy alternatives using appropriate criteria for each area in different “policy scenarios”.