IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/juipol/v84y2023ics0957178723001698.html

Has retail competition reduced residential electricity prices in Texas?

Author

Listed:
  • Zarnikau, J.
  • Cao, K.H.
  • Qi, H.S.
  • Woo, C.K.

Abstract

We estimate the impact of introducing retail competition on retail electricity prices paid by residential consumers in Texas's two largest cities, Dallas and Houston. Using the synthetic control method to obtain the counterfactual prices, we find that retail competition raised average prices by $0.0112/kWh ($11.2/MWh) in the transition period from 2001 to 2006 and by $0.0134/kWh ($13.4/MWh) during the period of unfettered competition from 2007 to 2020. However, when the US wholesale natural gas prices are relatively low, actual retail electricity prices in areas opened to retail competition are close to the counterfactual prices that would have prevailed had retail competition not been introduced, as measured by the counterfactual prices estimated using the synthetic control method.

Suggested Citation

  • Zarnikau, J. & Cao, K.H. & Qi, H.S. & Woo, C.K., 2023. "Has retail competition reduced residential electricity prices in Texas?," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:juipol:v:84:y:2023:i:c:s0957178723001698
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jup.2023.101657
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0957178723001698
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jup.2023.101657?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zarnikau, J. & Woo, C.K. & Zhu, S. & Tsai, C.H., 2019. "Market price behavior of wholesale electricity products: Texas," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 418-428.
    2. Bowen, William M. & Hill, Edward (Ned) & Thomas, Andrew & Liu, Ruoran & Henning, Mark, 2023. "Consumer price effects of deregulated electric generation markets: The case of Ohio and the midwestern United States," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    3. Kelvin Lancaster, 1990. "The Economics of Product Variety: A Survey," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 9(3), pages 189-206.
    4. Zarnikau, Jay, 2005. "A review of efforts to restructure Texas' electricity market," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 15-25, January.
    5. Brown, D.P. & Tsai, C.H. & Woo, C.K. & Zarnikau, J. & Zhu, S., 2020. "Residential electricity pricing in Texas's competitive retail market," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    6. repec:aen:journl:2006v27-01-a01 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. repec:aen:journl:ej38-4-ros is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Zarnikau, Jay & Whitworth, Doug, 2006. "Has electric utility restructuring led to lower electricity prices for residential consumers in Texas?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(15), pages 2191-2200, October.
    9. Apt, Jay, 2005. "Competition Has Not Lowered U.S. Industrial Electricity Prices," The Electricity Journal, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 52-61, March.
    10. Alberto Abadie & Alexis Diamond & Jens Hainmueller, 2015. "Comparative Politics and the Synthetic Control Method," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 59(2), pages 495-510, February.
    11. Alexander Hill, 2023. "Price freezes and gas pass-through: an estimation of the price impact of electricity market restructuring," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 63(1), pages 87-116, April.
    12. repec:aen:journl:2000v21-04-a01 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Severin Borenstein & James Bushnell, 2015. "The US Electricity Industry After 20 Years of Restructuring," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 7(1), pages 437-463, August.
    14. repec:aen:journl:ej40-2-dormady is not listed on IDEAS
    15. John Kwoka, 2008. "Restructuring the U.S. Electric Power Sector: A Review of Recent Studies," Review of Industrial Organization, Springer;The Industrial Organization Society, vol. 32(3), pages 165-196, May.
    16. Triolo, Ryan C. & Wolak, Frank A., 2022. "Quantifying the benefits of a nodal market design in the Texas electricity market," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    17. Xuejuan Su, 2015. "Have customers benefited from electricity retail competition?," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 47(2), pages 146-182, April.
    18. Hartley, Peter R. & Medlock, Kenneth B. & Jankovska, Olivera, 2019. "Electricity reform and retail pricing in Texas," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 1-11.
    19. Sioshansi, Fereidoon P., 2006. "Electricity Market Reform: What Have We Learned? What Have We Gained?," The Electricity Journal, Elsevier, vol. 19(9), pages 70-83, November.
    20. 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.
    21. Woo, C.K. & Zarnikau, Jay, 2009. "Will Electricity Market Reform Likely Reduce Retail Rates?," The Electricity Journal, Elsevier, vol. 22(2), pages 40-45, March.
    22. Abadie, Alberto & Diamond, Alexis & Hainmueller, Jens, 2010. "Synthetic Control Methods for Comparative Case Studies: Estimating the Effect of California’s Tobacco Control Program," Journal of the American Statistical Association, American Statistical Association, vol. 105(490), pages 493-505.
    23. J. Zarnikau & C. Woo & R. Baldick, 2014. "Did the introduction of a nodal market structure impact wholesale electricity prices in the Texas (ERCOT) market?," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 45(2), pages 194-208, April.
    24. Woo, C.K & Lloyd, D & Karimov, R & Tishler, A, 2003. "Stranded cost recovery in electricity market reforms in the US," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 1-14.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. C. K. Woo & K. H. Cao & H. Qi & J. Zarnikau & R. Li, 2024. "Price responsiveness of solar and wind capacity demands," Post-Print hal-04597188, HAL.
    2. Defeuilley, Christophe, 2025. "Retail electricity markets in Europe: Taking stock, looking ahead," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Alexander Hill, 2023. "Price freezes and gas pass-through: an estimation of the price impact of electricity market restructuring," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 63(1), pages 87-116, April.
    2. Segarra, Ignacio & Atanasova, Christina & Figuerola-Ferretti, Isabel, 2024. "Electricity markets regulations: The financial impact of the global energy crisis," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    3. Hartley, Peter R. & Medlock, Kenneth B. & Jankovska, Olivera, 2019. "Electricity reform and retail pricing in Texas," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 1-11.
    4. Castro Pérez, José E. & Flores, Daniel, 2023. "The effect of retail price regulation on the wholesale price of electricity," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    5. Agustin J. Ros, 2020. "Does electricity competition work for residential consumers? Evidence from demand models for default and competitive residential electricity services," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 58(1), pages 1-32, August.
    6. Brown, D.P. & Tsai, C.H. & Woo, C.K. & Zarnikau, J. & Zhu, S., 2020. "Residential electricity pricing in Texas's competitive retail market," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    7. repec:aen:journl:ej38-4-ros is not listed on IDEAS
    8. C. K. Woo & K. H. Cao & H. Qi & J. Zarnikau & R. Li, 2024. "Price responsiveness of solar and wind capacity demands," Post-Print hal-04597188, HAL.
    9. Simone Di Leo & Marta Chicca & Cinzia Daraio & Andrea Guerrini & Stefano Scarcella, 2022. "A Framework for the Analysis of the Sustainability of the Energy Retail Market," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-28, June.
    10. Cao, K.H. & Qi, H.S. & Tsai, C.H. & Woo, C.K. & Zarnikau, J., 2021. "Energy trading efficiency in the US Midcontinent electricity markets," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 302(C).
    11. Chi-Keung Woo & Jay Zarnikau & Asher Tishler & Kang Hua Cao, 2022. "Insuring a Small Retail Electric Provider’s Procurement Cost Risk in Texas," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-12, December.
    12. 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.
    13. McDaniel, Tanga M. & Groothuis, Peter A., 2012. "Retail competition in electricity supply—Survey results in North Carolina," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 315-321.
    14. Razeghi, Ghazal & Shaffer, Brendan & Samuelsen, Scott, 2017. "Impact of electricity deregulation in the state of California," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 105-115.
    15. 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).
    16. Woo, C.K. & Zarnikau, J., 2019. "Renewable energy's vanishing premium in Texas's retail electricity pricing plans," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C), pages 764-770.
    17. Kang Hua Cao & Han Qi & Chi-Keung Woo & Jay Zarnikau & Raymond Li, 2024. "Efficient Frontiers for Short-term Sales of Spot and Forward Wind Energy in Texas," The Energy Journal, , vol. 45(6), pages 37-60, November.
    18. Woo, C.K. & Milstein, I. & Tishler, A. & Zarnikau, J., 2019. "A wholesale electricity market design sans missing money and price manipulation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    19. Bowen, William M. & Hill, Edward (Ned) & Thomas, Andrew & Liu, Ruoran & Henning, Mark, 2023. "Consumer price effects of deregulated electric generation markets: The case of Ohio and the midwestern United States," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    20. Thomasi, Virginia & Siluk, Julio Cezar M. & Rigo, Paula D. & Pappis, Cesar Augusto de O., 2024. "Challenges, improvements, and opportunities market with the liberalization of the residential electricity market," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    21. Cruz A. Echevarría & Serhat Hasancebi & Javier García-Enríquez, 2022. "Economic Effects of Macao’s Integration with Mainland China: A Causal Inference Study," Journal of Economic Integration, Center for Economic Integration, Sejong University, vol. 37(2), pages 179-215.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • L51 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Economics of Regulation
    • L94 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Electric Utilities
    • Z18 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Public Policy
    • Q48 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Government Policy

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:juipol:v:84:y:2023:i:c:s0957178723001698. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/utilities-policy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.