Electric Utility Rate Design Study: attitudes and opinions of electric utility customers toward peak-load conditions and time-of-day pricing. Customer acceptance, Topic 10. 1

Technical Report · Mon Jan 03 00:00:00 EST 1977

OSTI ID:5284938

Kuenstler, D A

This report describes the results of an attitude and opinion survey. Lengthy, personal interviews were conducted in all four U.S. regions during May--June 1976 among representative samples of 415 residential, 205 commercial, and 195 industrial customers of electric utilities. The purpose of the study was to secure information that would be of value to both regulatory and operating segments of the utility industry in developing rate-design and load-management plans and programs. The attitude and opinion information obtained about a number of basic ''energy issues'' suggests a need to inform customers about: (1) the availability of electricity now and in the foreseeable future and why demand will increase; (2) whether utilities should be required or allowed to provide electricity ''anytime'' for those willing to pay; (3) the rationales for: time-differentiated pricing and voluntary versus mandatory load-management practices; and (4) whether, and to what extent, production costs vary by time, by customer class, or by amount of usage; related to this is the need to explain why rates should follow costs and what costs are relevant.

• Research Organization: Electric Power Research Inst., Palo Alto, Calif. (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5284938
• Report Number(s): NP-22541
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
COMMERCIAL SECTOR
ELECTRIC POWER
CHARGES
ELECTRIC UTILITIES
LOAD MANAGEMENT
PUBLIC OPINION
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
PEAK-LOAD PRICING
RESIDENTIAL SECTOR
CONSUMPTION RATES
COST
RATE STRUCTURE
MANAGEMENT
POWER
PUBLIC UTILITIES
296000* - Energy Planning & Policy- Electric Power