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Pricing behaviour under competition in the UK electricity supply industry

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  • Monica Giulietti
  • Jesus Otero
  • Michael Waterson

Abstract

This paper investigates the evolution of electricity prices for domestic customers in the UK following the introduction of competition. The empirical analysis is based on a panel data set containing detailed information about electricity supply prices over the period 1999 to 2006. The analysis examines the pricing patterns and draws inferences concerning the benefits of incumbency and the gains from search. The econometric analysis of persistence and price dispersion provides rather limited support for the view that the market is becoming more competitive and also indicates that there remain significant potential benefits to consumers from searching alternative suppliers. Copyright 2010 Oxford University Press 2009 All rights reserved, Oxford University Press.

Suggested Citation

  • Monica Giulietti & Jesus Otero & Michael Waterson, 2010. "Pricing behaviour under competition in the UK electricity supply industry," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 62(3), pages 478-503, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:oxecpp:v:62:y:2010:i:3:p:478-503
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    Cited by:

    1. Nils-Henrik M. von der Fehr & Petter Vegard Hansen, 2010. "Electricity Retailing in Norway," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 1), pages 25-46.
    2. Xiaoping He & David Reiner, 2015. "Why Do More British Consumers Not Switch Energy Suppliers? The Role of Individual Attitudes," Working Papers EPRG 1515, Energy Policy Research Group, Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.
    3. de Bragança, Gabriel Godofredo Fiuza & Daglish, Toby, 2017. "Investing in vertical integration: electricity retail market participation," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 355-365.
    4. Silvia Concettini & Anna Creti, 2013. "Liberalization of electricity retailing in Europe: coming back or going forth?," Working Papers hal-00915924, HAL.
    5. Wilson, Chris M., 2012. "Market frictions: A unified model of search costs and switching costs," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(6), pages 1070-1086.
    6. Amountzias, Chrysovalantis & Dagdeviren, Hulya & Patokos, Tassos, 2017. "Pricing decisions and market power in the UK electricity market: A VECM approach," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 467-473.
    7. Monica Giulietti & Michael Waterson & Matthijs Wildenbeest, 2014. "Estimation of Search Frictions in the British Electricity Market," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 62(4), pages 555-590, December.
    8. Jens Metge & Pia Weiss, 2011. "Protecting The Domestic Market: Industrial Policy And Strategic Firm Behavior," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 56(02), pages 159-174.
    9. Defeuilley, Christophe, 2009. "Retail competition in electricity markets," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 377-386, February.
    10. Wilson, Chris M, 2009. "Market Frictions: A Unified Model of Search and Switching Costs," MPRA Paper 13672, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. 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.
    12. He, X. & Reiner, D., 2018. "Consumer Engagement in Energy Markets: The Role of Information and Knowledge," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 1867, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    13. Apergis, Nicholas & Polemis, Michael, 2018. "Electricity supply shocks and economic growth across the US states: evidence from a time-varying Bayesian panel VAR model, aggregate and disaggregate energy sources," MPRA Paper 84954, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Poupeau, François-Mathieu, 2009. "Domestic customers and reform of the gas sector. An organisational sociology perspective," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(12), pages 5385-5392, December.
    15. Xiaoping He & David Reiner, 2017. "Why Consumers Switch Energy Suppliers: The Role of Individual Attitudes," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 6).
    16. Daglish, Toby, 2016. "Consumer governance in electricity markets," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 326-337.
    17. Brown, David P. & Eckert, Andrew, 2018. "The effect of default rates on retail competition and pricing decisions of competitive retailers: The case of Alberta," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 298-311.
    18. Chris Wilson, 2009. "Market Frictions: A Unified Model of Search Costs and Switching Costs," Working Paper series, University of East Anglia, Centre for Competition Policy (CCP) 2009-03, Centre for Competition Policy, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK..
    19. Lehto, Eero, 2011. "Electricity prices in the Finnish retail market," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(4), pages 2179-2192, April.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • L43 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies - - - Legal Monopolies and Regulation or Deregulation
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
    • L94 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Electric Utilities
    • C22 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Time-Series Models; Dynamic Quantile Regressions; Dynamic Treatment Effect Models; Diffusion Processes
    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models

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