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Demand-Side Management and Energy Efficiency Revisited

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  • Maximilian Auffhammer
  • Carl Blumstein
  • Meredith Fowlie

Abstract

The key finding of Loughran and Kulick (2004) is that utilities have been overstating electricity savings and underestimating costs associated with energy efficiency demand-side management (DSM) programs. This claim is based on point estimates of average DSM-related savings and costs implied by an econometric model of residential electricity demand. We first argue that the chosen test statistics bias results in favor of rejecting the null hypothesis that utility-reported savings reflect true values. We also note that utility estimates of average program savings and costs are rejected based on point estimates alone. We use the same data and econometric model to estimate the appropriate test statistics. We then construct nonparametric bootstrap confidence intervals. These intervals are quite large; we fail to reject the average electricity savings and DSM costs reported by utilities. Our results suggest that the evidence for rejecting utility estimates of DSM savings and costs should be re-interpreted.

Suggested Citation

  • Maximilian Auffhammer & Carl Blumstein & Meredith Fowlie, 2008. "Demand-Side Management and Energy Efficiency Revisited," The Energy Journal, , vol. 29(3), pages 91-104, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:sae:enejou:v:29:y:2008:i:3:p:91-104
    DOI: 10.5547/ISSN0195-6574-EJ-Vol29-No3-5
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Nichols, Albert L., 1994. "Demand-side management Overcoming market barriers or obscuring real costs?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 22(10), pages 840-847, October.
    2. Nadel, Steven & Geller, Howard, 1996. "Utility DSM : What have we learned? Where are we going?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 24(4), pages 289-302, April.
    3. MacKinnon, James G. & White, Halbert, 1985. "Some heteroskedasticity-consistent covariance matrix estimators with improved finite sample properties," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 29(3), pages 305-325, September.
    4. repec:aen:journl:1992v13-04-a03 is not listed on IDEAS
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    Cited by:

    1. Jin, Guiyoung & Lim, Yeji & Nam, Kyungsik, 2025. "Energy efficiency pricing in regulated electricity markets," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).

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