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CONSUMPTION UNDER NOISY PRICE SIGNALS: A STUDY OF ELECTRICITY RETAIL RATE DEREGULATION IN SAN DIEGO -super-

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  • JAMES B. BUSHNELL
  • ERIN T. MANSUR

Abstract

Utility services employ nonlinear tariffs that attempt to convey information on cost convexities. This paper examines how customers respond to noisy and volatile tariffs by measuring deregulated retail rates' impact on electricity consumption in San Diego. When rates doubled in 2000, consumers appear to have reacted more to recent past bills than to current price information. By summer's end, we find consumption fell 6% while lagging price increases. Even months after the utility restored low historic rates customers continued curtailing demand. We conclude that rate structures relying upon lagged wholesale price averages produce delayed responses to scarcities or high costs. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd. 2005.

Suggested Citation

  • James B. Bushnell & Erin T. Mansur, 2005. "CONSUMPTION UNDER NOISY PRICE SIGNALS: A STUDY OF ELECTRICITY RETAIL RATE DEREGULATION IN SAN DIEGO -super-," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(4), pages 493-513, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jindec:v:53:y:2005:i:4:p:493-513
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Robert H. Patrick & Frank A. Wolak, 2001. "Estimating the Customer-Level Demand for Electricity Under Real-Time Market Prices," NBER Working Papers 8213, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Reiss, Peter C. & White, Matthew W., 2003. "Demand and Pricing in Electricity Markets: Evidence from San Diego During California's Energy Crisis," Research Papers 1829, Stanford University, Graduate School of Business.
    3. Peter C. Reiss & Matthew W. White, 2003. "Demand and Pricing in Electricity Markets: Evidence from San Diego During California's Energy Crisis," NBER Working Papers 9986, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    Cited by:

    1. Kellogg, Ryan & Wolff, Hendrik, 2007. "Does Extending Daylight Saving Time Save Energy? Evidence from an Australian Experiment," IZA Discussion Papers 2704, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
    2. Knaut, Andreas & Paulus, Simon, 2016. "When are consumers responding to electricity prices? An hourly pattern of demand elasticity," EWI Working Papers 2016-7, Energiewirtschaftliches Institut an der Universitaet zu Koeln (EWI), revised 16 Mar 2017.
    3. Peter C. Reiss & Matthew W. White, 2008. "What changes energy consumption? Prices and public pressures," RAND Journal of Economics, RAND Corporation, vol. 39(3), pages 636-663.
    4. Medina, Eva & Vicéns, José, 2011. "Factores determinantes de la demanda eléctrica de los hogares en España: una aproximación mediante regresión cuantílica/Determinants of Household Electricity Demand in Spain: An Approach through Quant," Estudios de Economía Aplicada, Estudios de Economía Aplicada, vol. 29, pages 515-538, Agosto.
    5. Genc, Talat S., 2016. "Measuring demand responses to wholesale electricity prices using market power indices," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 247-260.
    6. Paulo Bastos & Lucio Castro & Julian Cristia & Carlos Scartascini, 2015. "Does Energy Consumption Respond to Price Shocks? Evidence from a Regression-Discontinuity Design," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 63(2), pages 249-278, June.
    7. Swadley, Adam & Yücel, Mine, 2011. "Did residential electricity rates fall after retail competition? A dynamic panel analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(12), pages 7702-7711.
    8. repec:eee:enepol:v:109:y:2017:i:c:p:208-217 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Erin T. Mansur, 2007. "Do Oligopolists Pollute Less? Evidence from a Restructured Electricity Market," NBER Working Papers 13511, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    10. Kellogg, Ryan & Wolff, Hendrik, 2008. "Daylight time and energy: Evidence from an Australian experiment," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 56(3), pages 207-220, November.

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