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Efficient Retail Pricing in Electricity and Natural Gas Markets

Author

Listed:
  • Steven L. Puller
  • Jeremy West

Abstract

A long line of research investigates whether the retail prices of electricity and natural gas send proper signals about scarcity in order to induce efficient consumption. Historically, regulated utilities have not designed tariffs that set marginal prices equal to marginal costs. Currently, some jurisdictions are opening the retail sectors to competition via "retail choice." These new regimes replace imperfect regulation with imperfect competition as the process by which retail tariffs are formed. We discuss the challenges in evaluating the efficiency of tariffs and present evidence of how pricing has changed in markets with retail choice.

Suggested Citation

  • Steven L. Puller & Jeremy West, 2013. "Efficient Retail Pricing in Electricity and Natural Gas Markets," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 103(3), pages 350-355, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aecrev:v:103:y:2013:i:3:p:350-55
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/aer.103.3.350
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ali Hortaçsu & Seyed Ali Madanizadeh & Steven L. Puller, 2017. "Power to Choose? An Analysis of Consumer Inertia in the Residential Electricity Market," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 9(4), pages 192-226, November.
    2. Severin Borenstein & Lucas W. Davis, 2012. "The Equity and Efficiency of Two-Part Tariffs in U.S. Natural Gas Markets," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 55(1), pages 75-128.
    3. Lucas W. Davis & Erich Muehlegger, 2010. "Do Americans consume too little natural gas? An empirical test of marginal cost pricing," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 41(4), pages 791-810, December.
    4. Koichiro Ito, 2014. "Do Consumers Respond to Marginal or Average Price? Evidence from Nonlinear Electricity Pricing," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(2), pages 537-563, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Cited by:

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    2. Gong, Chengzhu & Tang, Kai & Zhu, Kejun & Hailu, Atakelty, 2016. "An optimal time-of-use pricing for urban gas: A study with a multi-agent evolutionary game-theoretic perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 163(C), pages 283-294.
    3. Nguyen, Hieu T. & Felder, Frank A., 2020. "Generation expansion planning with renewable energy credit markets: A bilevel programming approach," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 276(C).
    4. Liang Lu & David Deller & Morten Hviid, 2019. "Price and Behavioural Signals to Encourage Household Water Conservation: Implications for the UK," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 33(2), pages 475-491, January.
    5. Pratt, Bryan, 2020. "Property Tenure and Determinants of Sensitivity to Price and Non-Price Conservation Instruments," 2020 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, Kansas City, Missouri 304283, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    6. Amenta, Carlo & Aronica, Martina & Stagnaro, Carlo, 2022. "Is more competition better? Retail electricity prices and switching rates in the European Union," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    7. López Prol, Javier & Paul, Arijit, 2024. "Profitability landscapes for competitive photovoltaic self-consumption," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    8. Li, Jianglong & Lin, Boqiang, 2017. "Ecological total-factor energy efficiency of China's heavy and light industries: Which performs better?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 83-94.
    9. Antweiler, Werner & Muesgens, Felix, 2024. "The new merit order: The viability of energy-only electricity markets with only intermittent renewable energy sources and grid-scale storage," Ruhr Economic Papers 1064, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    10. Rahman, Arief & Richards, Russell & Dargusch, Paul & Wadley, David, 2023. "Pathways to reduce Indonesia’s dependence on oil and achieve longer-term decarbonization," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 1305-1323.
    11. Yang Yu & Guangyi Liu & Wendong Zhu & Fei Wang & Bin Shu & Kai Zhang & Ram Rajagopal & Nicolas Astier, 2016. "Economic information from Smart Meter: Nexus Between Demand Profile and Electricity Retail Price Between Demand Profile and Electricity Retail Price," Papers 1701.02646, arXiv.org.
    12. Qiang Li & Weiming Xi, 2024. "RETRACTED ARTICLE: Sustainable and market-oriented solutions for the electricity sales market reform," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 57(2), pages 1-31, April.
    13. Clark, David E. & Dybicz, Catherine & Hanson, Andrew & Nourzad, Farrokh, 2017. "“No shut-off” policies and natural gas consumption," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 19-29.
    14. Daglish, Toby, 2016. "Consumer governance in electricity markets," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 326-337.
    15. Wagner, Johannes, 2018. "Distributed Generation in Unbundled Electricity Markets," EWI Working Papers 2018-1, Energiewirtschaftliches Institut an der Universitaet zu Koeln (EWI).
    16. Liang Lu & David Deller & Morten Hviid, 2018. "Price and Behavioural Signals to Encourage Household Water Conservation in Temperate Climates," Working Paper series, University of East Anglia, Centre for Competition Policy (CCP) 2018-01, Centre for Competition Policy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK..
    17. Grimm, Veronika & Grübel, Julia & Schewe, Lars & Schmidt, Martin & Zöttl, Gregor, 2019. "Nonconvex equilibrium models for gas market analysis: Failure of standard techniques and alternative modeling approaches," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 273(3), pages 1097-1108.
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    19. Ryan P. Scott & Tyler A. Scott & Robert A. Greer, 2022. "Who owns the pipes? Utility ownership, infrastructure conditions, and methane emissions in United States natural gas distribution," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 39(2), pages 170-198, March.
    20. Oggioni, Giorgia & Schwartz, Alexandra & Wiertz, Ann-Kathrin & Zöttl, Gregor, 2024. "Dynamic pricing and strategic retailers in the energy sector: A multi-leader-follower approach," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 312(1), pages 255-272.
    21. Peng, Xu & Tao, Xiaoma, 2018. "Cooperative game of electricity retailers in China's spot electricity market," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 152-170.
    22. Daglish, Toby, 2015. "Consumer Governance in Electricity Markets," Working Paper Series 19259, Victoria University of Wellington, The New Zealand Institute for the Study of Competition and Regulation.
    23. Daglish, Toby, 2015. "Consumer Governance in Electricity Markets," Working Paper Series 4183, Victoria University of Wellington, The New Zealand Institute for the Study of Competition and Regulation.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L94 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Electric Utilities
    • L95 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Gas Utilities; Pipelines; Water Utilities
    • L98 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Government Policy
    • Q41 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Demand and Supply; Prices

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