This paper uses a choice experiment to evaluate the consumers' willingness to pay for energy-saving measures in Switzerland's residential buildings. These measures include air renewal (ventilation) systems and insulation of windows and facades. Two groups of respondents consisting respectively of 163 apartment tenants and 142 house owners were asked to choose between their housing status quo and each one of the several hypothetical situations with different attributes and prices. The estimation method is based on a fixed-effects logit model. The results suggest that the benefits of the energy-saving attributes are significantly valued by the consumers. These benefits include both individual energy savings and environmental benefits as well as comfort benefits namely, thermal comfort, air quality and noise protection.

Risk-Aversion and Willingness to Pay For Energy Saving Measures in Residential Buildings

Real prices of major appliances (refrigerators, dishwashers, heating and cooling equipment) have been falling since the late 1970s despite increases in appliance efficiency and other quality variables This paper demonstrates that historic increases in efficiency over time, including those resulting from minimum efficiency standards, incur smaller price increases than were expected by Department of Energy (DOE) forecasts made in conjunction with standards This effect can be explained by technological innovation, which lowers the cost of efficiency, and by market changes contributing to lower markups and economies of scale in production of higher efficiency units We reach four principal conclusions about appliance trends and retail price setting: 1 For the past several decades, the retail price of appliances has been steadily falling while efficiency has been increasing 2 Past retail price predictions made by DOE analyses of efficiency standards, assuming constant prices over time, have tended to overestimate retail prices 3 The average incremental price to increase appliance efficiency has declined over time DOE technical support documents have typically overestimated this incremental price and retail prices 4 Changes in retail markups and economies of scale in production of more efficient appliances may have contributed to declines in prices of efficient appliances

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Retrospective Evaluation of Appliance Price Trends

Impact of appliance efficiency and fuel substitution on residential end-use energy consumption in Canada

Modelling Technological Change in Small Business

This energy policy review of Denmark offers a comprehensive analysis of the country’s energy sector, evaluating its strengths and weaknesses across the fuel mix, as well as looking at broader issues such as energy efficiency, environmental performance, competition,  and technology research and development. It also includes policy critiques and recommendations, drawing on experience across IEA member countries. While this reviewplaces particular emphasis on energy efficiency and renewable energy, it also covers the full spectrum of the Danish energy sector.

Energy Policies of IEA Countries: Denmark 2006

Energy efficiency plays a major role in policies to mitigate climate change and to secure future energy supply. Understanding energy use behaviour and appliance energy use is vital to policy design. The drivers of energy use in household sector are complex. Households use energy for comfort, health and entertainment in contrast to, the uses of energy for making a profit in industrial and commercial sectors. As a part of this study a model was developed identifying the major drivers of household energy use. Household income and behaviour, house size, appliance technology and appliance energy efficiency are few factors that can influence household energy consumption patterns. Many OECD countries have managed to restrain traditional household energy end-uses such as space and water heating. However, IEA studies have indicated energy used by information, communication and entertainment appliances continue to increase. Television energy use was chosen for this study because it is widely used and operates together with many other associated appliances. This analysis draws from the New Zealand Television Energy Usage and Purchasing Survey to understand the current trends and patterns of television usage. The survey suggests television and associated appliance ownership and usage is increasing. Analysis draws from the survey to quantify TV energy use in New Zealand. This study illustrates how household behaviour, technology and size affects household energy use. The survey also demonstrate how households associate energy use with environmental impact. Some OECD data on household energy was used to analyse and contrast New Zealand’s patterns in a wider context.

Marion R Pahalawatta

Papers

Household Energy Use in New Zealand: the Changing Role of Televisions