This paper describes exploratory analyses of domestic electricity-profiles recorded at a high time resolution of 1 min on eight houses. It includes a detailed analysis of the effects of time averaging. For dwellings with on-site generation, such as micro-CHP, a better understanding of electricity profiles is important for the economic analysis of systems, and to examine the effects of widespread onsite generation on local electricity-networks. Most load data are available at half-hour intervals; averaging data over periods longer than a minute is shown to under-estimate the proportions of both export and import. The frequency distribution of loads is shown to be highly skewed, with varying distributions and an average load factor of 0.1. Further study is needed to develop more general relationships for a large sample of houses, to apply in design and research. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.