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U.S. Department of Energy
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Residential demand for energy: estimates of residential stocks of energy using capital. Volume II. Final report

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/7116705· OSTI ID:7116705

A program of research into the demand for residential energy requires the construction of an adequate data base on the stock of energy using capital. This report details the procedures used to assemble such a data base. The development of data on housing stocks was the most important element of this analysis. Bureau of the Census figures were available for 1960 and 1970. Two methods were used to obtain annual estimates of the stock: (1) data on housing permits authorized were used as investment and a constant rate of depreciation was assumed; and (2) an adjusted annual change in the number of residential electric customers was used as a proxy for investment and depreciation. These methods yielded substantially similar results. Stocks of appliances were estimated by benchmarking annual state saturation rates obtained from Merchandising Week to decennial saturation rates obtained from the Census and multiplying these saturation rates by the stock of houses. This study was hampered by a lack of information on the number of appliances held by consumers, and on the age distribution, size distribution, and historical utilization rates of these appliances. Fortunately, enough data were collected to allow for the construction of a reasonable data set on appliance stocks. However, adequate data could not be gathered to construct estimates of the age, size, or usage types of capital. To correct this deficiency, it would be necessary for some agency to undertake the development of periodic systematic censuses of consumer holdings of capital.

Research Organization:
Data Resources, Inc., Lexington, MA (USA)
OSTI ID:
7116705
Report Number(s):
EPRI-EA-235(Vol.2)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English