Off-campus UMass Amherst users: To download dissertations, please use the following link to log into our proxy server with your UMass Amherst user name and password.
Non-UMass Amherst users, please click the view more button below to purchase a copy of this dissertation from Proquest.
(Some titles may also be available free of charge in our Open Access Dissertation Collection, so please check there first.)
An analysis of structural change in residential electricity demand in New England
Abstract
This research examines whether or not the structure of demand for residential electricity has changed during the oil embargo era in New England. A structural approach is used in which both the use of electricity and the demand for electrical appliances are modeled. An attempt is made to more adequately distinguish between the short and long-run demand for electricity. An econometric model of the use of electricity is used to estimate short-run demand, while the long-run demand is estimated by modeling the demand for the stock of appliances. Tests for the ability to pool data over time and regions and for the effect of different model specifications are performed. Standard statistical tests are performed to determine whether or not the elasticity of demand with respect to price has remained stable over time. The results indicate that demand has become less responsive to price in both the short and long-run in the post-embargo era, 1974-86, compared to the pre-embargo period, 1970-73. This information is important because new generating capacity is very expensive and consequently utilities are focusing on demand management. The knowledge of price elasticities presented in this study provides more information about the structure of demand for utilities to use in formulating demand management programs.
Subject Area
Agricultural economics|Energy
Recommended Citation
Hovaizi, Fraidoon, "An analysis of structural change in residential electricity demand in New England" (1990). Doctoral Dissertations Available from Proquest. AAI9035393.
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations/AAI9035393