IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/wrk/wrkesp/25.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Tail-risk Comprehension and Protection in Real-time Electricity Pricing : Experimental Evidence

Author

Listed:
  • Pretto, Madeline

    (Monash University)

Abstract

Do households comprehend the nature of price tail-risks inherent to real-time electricity pricing plans? Through an incentivised online experiment, we find that a probabilistic risk disclosure elicits greater demand for real-time pricing (RTP) products relative to a low-risk fixed-price alternative, without improving comprehension of tail-risk in RTP. Participants also show a tendency to place low value on tail-risk protection. Finally, the experience of a bill shock improves risk comprehension and drives choice away from RTP, suggesting that personal experience plays a greater role in self-imposed risk protection than does a probabilistic risk disclosure. We discuss the implications these findings may have for regulators with a consumer protection mandate.

Suggested Citation

  • Pretto, Madeline, 2021. "Tail-risk Comprehension and Protection in Real-time Electricity Pricing : Experimental Evidence," Warwick-Monash Economics Student Papers 25, Warwick Monash Economics Student Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:wrk:wrkesp:25
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/research/wmesp/manage/25_-_madeline_pretto.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Deng, Tingting & Yan, Wenzhou & Nojavan, Sayyad & Jermsittiparsert, Kittisak, 2020. "Risk evaluation and retail electricity pricing using downside risk constraints method," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    2. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/1v5t17iu579ln8fcl17pe3te92 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Severin Borenstein, 2007. "Customer Risk from Real-Time Retail Electricity Pricing: Bill Volatility and Hedgability," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 2), pages 111-130.
    4. Nezamoddini, Nasim & Wang, Yong, 2017. "Real-time electricity pricing for industrial customers: Survey and case studies in the United States," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 195(C), pages 1023-1037.
    5. Salies, Evens, 2013. "Real-time pricing when some consumers resist in saving electricity," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 843-849.
    6. Ambec, Stefan & Crampes, Claude, 2021. "Real-time electricity pricing to balance green energy intermittency," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    7. Stephen Poletti & Julian Wright, 2020. "Real‐Time Pricing and Imperfect Competition in Electricity Markets," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 68(1), pages 93-135, March.
    8. Hirst, Eric, 2002. "The Financial and Physical Insurance Benefits of Price-Responsive Demand," The Electricity Journal, Elsevier, vol. 15(4), pages 66-73, May.
    9. Severin Borenstein & James B. Bushnell, 2022. "Do Two Electricity Pricing Wrongs Make a Right? Cost Recovery, Externalities, and Efficiency," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 14(4), pages 80-110, November.
    10. Natalia Fabra & David Rapson & Mar Reguant & Jingyuan Wang, 2021. "Estimating the Elasticity to Real-Time Pricing: Evidence from the Spanish Electricity Market," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 111, pages 425-429, May.
    11. Thorp, S. & Bateman, H. & Dobrescu, L.I. & Newell, B.R. & Ortmann, A., 2020. "Flicking the switch: Simplifying disclosure to improve retirement plan choices," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    12. Marc A. Ragin & Benjamin L. Collier & Johannes G. Jaspersen, 2021. "The effect of information disclosure on demand for high‐load insurance," Journal of Risk & Insurance, The American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 88(1), pages 161-193, March.
    13. Severin Borenstein, 2005. "The Long-Run Efficiency of Real-Time Electricity Pricing," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 3), pages 93-116.
    14. Lana Friesen & Peter E. Earl, 2020. "An Experimental Analysis of Regulatory Interventions for Complex Pricing," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 86(3), pages 1241-1266, January.
    15. Brown, Paul M. & Stewart, Steven, 1999. "Avoiding severe environmental consequences: evidence on the role of loss avoidance and risk attitudes," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 179-198, February.
    16. Campillo, Javier & Dahlquist, Erik & Wallin, Fredrik & Vassileva, Iana, 2016. "Is real-time electricity pricing suitable for residential users without demand-side management?," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 310-325.
    17. Allcott, Hunt, 2011. "Rethinking real-time electricity pricing," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 820-842.
    18. Darby, Sarah J. & McKenna, Eoghan, 2012. "Social implications of residential demand response in cool temperate climates," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 759-769.
    19. Mattias Vesterberg and Chandra Kiran B. Krishnamurthy, 2016. "Residential End-use Electricity Demand: Implications for Real Time Pricing in Sweden," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 4).
    20. Christine Kaufmann & Martin Weber & Emily Haisley, 2013. "The Role of Experience Sampling and Graphical Displays on One's Investment Risk Appetite," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 59(2), pages 323-340, July.
    21. Dütschke, Elisabeth & Paetz, Alexandra-Gwyn, 2013. "Dynamic electricity pricing—Which programs do consumers prefer?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 226-234.
    22. Enrique Seira & Alan Elizondo & Eduardo Laguna-Müggenburg, 2017. "Are Information Disclosures Effective? Evidence from the Credit Card Market," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 9(1), pages 277-307, February.
    23. Bruce Mountain & Kelly Burns, 2021. "Loyalty taxes in retail electricity markets: not as they seem?," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 59(1), pages 1-24, February.
    24. Ahmad Faruqui & Sanem Sergici, 2010. "Household response to dynamic pricing of electricity: a survey of 15 experiments," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 38(2), pages 193-225, October.
    25. Parrish, Bryony & Heptonstall, Phil & Gross, Rob & Sovacool, Benjamin K., 2020. "A systematic review of motivations, enablers and barriers for consumer engagement with residential demand response," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Katz, Jonas & Andersen, Frits Møller & Morthorst, Poul Erik, 2016. "Load-shift incentives for household demand response: Evaluation of hourly dynamic pricing and rebate schemes in a wind-based electricity system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 115(P3), pages 1602-1616.
    2. Anette Boom & Sebastian Schwenen, 2021. "Is real-time pricing smart for consumers?," Journal of Regulatory Economics, Springer, vol. 60(2), pages 193-213, December.
    3. Dong, Jun & Jiang, Yuzheng & Liu, Dongran & Dou, Xihao & Liu, Yao & Peng, Shicheng, 2022. "Promoting dynamic pricing implementation considering policy incentives and electricity retailers’ behaviors: An evolutionary game model based on prospect theory," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    4. Krishnamurthy, Chandra Kiran B. & Vesterberg, Mattias & Böök, Herman & Lindfors, Anders V. & Svento, Rauli, 2018. "Real-time pricing revisited: Demand flexibility in the presence of micro-generation," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 642-658.
    5. Paul L. Joskow, 2012. "Creating a Smarter U.S. Electricity Grid," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 26(1), pages 29-48, Winter.
    6. Fabra, Natalia, 2021. "The energy transition: An industrial economics perspective," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    7. Lopes, Marta A.R. & Henggeler Antunes, Carlos & Janda, Kathryn B. & Peixoto, Paulo & Martins, Nelson, 2016. "The potential of energy behaviours in a smart(er) grid: Policy implications from a Portuguese exploratory study," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 233-245.
    8. Miwa Nakai & Victor von Loessl & Heike Wetzel, 2022. "Preferences for dynamic electricity tariffs: A comparison of households in Germany and Japan," MAGKS Papers on Economics 202213, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    9. Ciarreta, Aitor & Espinosa, Maria Paz & Pizarro-Irizar, Cristina, 2023. "Pricing policies for efficient demand side management in liberalized electricity markets," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    10. Brännlund, Runar & Vesterberg, Mattias, 2021. "Peak and off-peak demand for electricity: Is there a potential for load shifting?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    11. Kowalska-Pyzalska, Anna & Maciejowska, Katarzyna & Suszczyński, Karol & Sznajd-Weron, Katarzyna & Weron, Rafał, 2014. "Turning green: Agent-based modeling of the adoption of dynamic electricity tariffs," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 164-174.
    12. Mattias Vesterberg and Chandra Kiran B. Krishnamurthy, 2016. "Residential End-use Electricity Demand: Implications for Real Time Pricing in Sweden," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 4).
    13. Gambardella, Christian & Pahle, Michael, 2018. "Time-varying electricity pricing and consumer heterogeneity: Welfare and distributional effects with variable renewable supply," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 257-273.
    14. Vesterberg, Mattias, 2016. "The hourly income elasticity of electricity," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 188-197.
    15. Vesterberg, Mattias, 2017. "Power to the people: Electricity demand and household behavior," Umeå Economic Studies 942, Umeå University, Department of Economics.
    16. Bajo-Buenestado, Raúl, 2017. "Welfare implications of capacity payments in a price-capped electricity sector: A case study of the Texas market (ERCOT)," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 272-285.
    17. Clastres, Cédric & Khalfallah, Haikel, 2021. "Dynamic pricing efficiency with strategic retailers and consumers: An analytical analysis of short-term market interactions," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    18. Freier, Julia & von Loessl, Victor, 2022. "Dynamic electricity tariffs: Designing reasonable pricing schemes for private households," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    19. Katrina Jessoe & David Rapson, 2014. "Knowledge Is (Less) Power: Experimental Evidence from Residential Energy Use," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(4), pages 1417-1438, April.
    20. Guo, Bowei & Weeks, Melvyn, 2022. "Dynamic tariffs, demand response, and regulation in retail electricity markets," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 106(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Vietnam retail electricity market ; block rate pricing ; welfare effect ; electricity externalities ; demand function ; cash transfer ; quantity-based subsidy JEL Classification: D12 ; D63 ; Q41 ; Q48;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • Q41 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Demand and Supply; Prices
    • Q48 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Government Policy

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    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:wrk:wrkesp:25. 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: Margaret Nash (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/dewaruk.html .

    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.