Pricing policies for efficient demand side management in liberalized electricity markets

International experience has shown that electricity consumers react to pricing policies by switching retailers or shifting part of their consumption from peak to off-peak hours. This behavior has a direct effect on the competition between retailers. In the light of this evidence (and considering the...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Ciarreta Antuñano, Aitor, Espinosa Alejos, María Paz, Pizarro Irizar, María Cristina
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:España
Institución:Universidad del País Vasco
Repositorio:Addi. Archivo Digital para la Docencia y la Investigación
OAI Identifier:oai:addi.ehu.eus:10810/61401
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10810/61401
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Demand-side management
Electricity market
Retail pricing policies
Switching costs
Time-of-use pricing
Welfare gains
Descripción
Sumario:International experience has shown that electricity consumers react to pricing policies by switching retailers or shifting part of their consumption from peak to off-peak hours. This behavior has a direct effect on the competition between retailers. In the light of this evidence (and considering the increasing penetration of smart meters) this study presents a theoretical framework in which retailers compete on time-of-use (ToU) pricing. In this case, the model is calibrated with Spanish data. Our objective is to determine whether the ToU pricing that emerges from the retail competition makes for greater efficiency than a fixed tariff, and if so, then to what extent. We also examine how efficiency gains are distributed between retailers and consumers. According to the results, the price signal to consumers under ToU pricing may be effective for modifying their consumption patterns and obtaining social welfare gains. As for the intermediate values of consumers’ elasticities, ToU pricing is a win–win for both retailers and consumers. This has substantial implications in terms of cost-efficiency. © 2023 The Author(s)