How do households perceive electricity consumption? Evidence from smart metering and survey data in South Korea

Abstract

As electricity consumption in residential buildings has increased, advanced metering infrastructures (AMIs) have been widely installed in residential buildings. AMIs measure and collect metering data of electricity (AMI data) consumed in each household. Companies, such as electricity suppliers and service and policy developers, have used AMI data to develop various services and policies. They rely on actual electricity consumption from AMI data to understand households' needs. However, the actual consumption may be different from household's perceived consumption. Household's perceived consumption could be affected by their respective characteristics, such as demographic and psycho-social characteristics. Accordingly, this research examines a difference between household's actual and perceived electricity consumption and determines household characteristics that affect the difference. For achieving this goal, this research uses AMI data (actual consumption) and survey data (perceived consumption) from 142 households in South Korea. Results confirm the existence of the difference and the influence of specific household characteristics on the difference between actual and perceived electricity consumptions. House and household sizes affect actual consumption, whereas behaviors that interact with electrical appliances affect perceived consumption. The findings would be useful for the companies in developing services and policies that satisfy household requirements.