Utility Bills Research Articles

The impacts of consumer-funded renewable support schemes in the UK: From the perspective of consumers or the electricity sector?

Increased renewable electricity reduced electricity prices but the costs of consumer-funded support schemes were added to utility bills. Previous studies compared these two components to understand the impacts on consumers. This paper constructs a framework for the electricity sector and provides a new angle to examine the impacts of renewable support schemes on consumers and the sector, respectively. Any negative gain to consumers was offset by the positive gain received by renewable generators (and suppliers), leaving the sector unaffected. In contrast, the increase in renewable electricity brought positive gain to the sector as a whole through reduced fossil fuels imports and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We examine the structural change in the generation mix from 2006 to 2020 in the UK and suggest that wind generation replaced coal-fired generation rather than gas-fired generation on the longer horizon. Therefore, using coal-related coefficients and a contribution share of 38.6% for renewable subsidies, we suggest that wind generation supported by the RO scheme brought positive net gain to the sector, exceeding £800 million per annum in 2018–19 and 2019–20. Therefore, the discrepancy in payoffs from the perspective of consumers and the sector imposed a difficult challenge for policymakers, as criticism would be raised if the analysis was done on consumers only.

Analysis of select utilities passing fuel costs and risks onto customers

AbstractAn electric utility bill often includes a fuel adjustment clause (FAC) charge that can be changed up or down to recoup the utility's fuel costs. The fuel adjustment clause was first introduced after fluctuations in coal prices during World War 1. The continued use of the FAC, which shifts the risk of fuel price spikes to the customer, is particularly concerning where energy burdens for vulnerable residents are high. To estimate the impact of an increase in natural gas prices on residential electricity bills because of the rise in the use of gas to generate energy in recent years. In 2020, electricity production accounted for around 33% of gas usage. One approach to address the high‐energy burden is providing clean and efficient energy for households, reducing energy bills, and freeing up household resources for other necessities. To determine this; first, a few utilities were selected, then the residential rate schedules were examined so a model could be built to calculate the bill based on a range of usage levels. The selected utilities, Florida Power & Light, Duke Energy Florida, Duke Energy Progress, and Duke Energy Carolinas, all rely on different fuel mixes to serve customers. Our findings suggest that with a heavy reliance on gas and a direct pass‐through of gas prices to customers, customers bear the risks of the volatile gas market. A slight increase in electric bills can have an outsized impact on customers, particularly low‐income households and individuals on fixed incomes.

Analyzing the Impact of Decarbonizing Residential Heating on the Electric Distribution Grid

Heating buildings using fossil fuels such as natural gas, propane and oil makes up a significant proportion of the aggregate carbon emissions every year. Because of this, there is a strong interest in decarbonizing residential heating systems using new technologies such as electric heat pumps. In this paper, we conduct a data-driven optimization study to analyze the potential of replacing gas heating with electric heat pumps to reduce CO 2 emission in a city-wide distribution grid. We conduct an in-depth analysis of gas consumption in the city and the resulting carbon emissions. We then present a flexible multi-objective optimization (MOO) framework that optimizes carbon emission reduction while also maximizing other aspects of the energy transition such as carbon-efficiency, and minimizing energy inefficiency in buildings. Our results show that replacing gas with electric heat pumps has the potential to cut carbon emissions by up to 81%. We also show that optimizing for other aspects such as carbon-efficiency and energy inefficiency introduces tradeoffs with carbon emission reduction that must be considered during transition. Finally, we present a detailed analysis of the implication of proposed transition strategies on the household energy consumption and utility bills, electric grid upgrades, and decarbonization policies. We compute the additional energy demand from electric heat pumps at the household as well as the transformer level and discuss how our results can inform decarbonization policies at city scale.

The role of electricity market design for energy storage in cost-efficient decarbonization

The role of electricity market design for energy storage in cost-efficient decarbonization

Economic and environmental analysis of a grid-connected hybrid power system for a University Campus

BackgroundThe generation of clean and affordable energy by 2030 is a challenging task, necessitating the integration of renewable energy sources to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with coal, crude oil, and natural gas. This study examines the optimization and performance analysis of a hybrid microgrid for a university campus as a potential solution to achieve this goal. The primary objective is to decrease the cost of energy and reduce CO2 emissions on the campus using a hybrid approach.ResultsThe Howard college campus of the University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZN) was used as a case study, with meteorological data obtained from NASA and real hourly electrical load data for 2019 from the university smart meters. HOMER, an optimization software, was employed to model and simulate the case study. The results demonstrated significant savings of R15.7 million (approximately $ 820 000) in annual utility bills, a 51% reduction in CO2 emissions, a return on investment of 20%, and a payback period of 4 years.ConclusionThe study's findings suggest that universities can become self-sustaining during load shedding periods, as recently experienced in South Africa. The implementation of a hybrid microgrid system on a university campus offers considerable economic and environmental benefits, providing a potential blueprint for other large institutions seeking to achieve similar sustainability goals.

자동적 처분에 대한 통제 수단으로서의 알고리즘 영향평가

The Framework Act on Administration, scheduled to take effect in March 2021, provides an explicit basis for fully automated administrative decisions by introducing the concept of ‘automatic disposition’ in Article 20. Traditionally, the ‘automation of administration’ was significant as an auxiliary administrative procedure consisting of automatic mechanical devices such as traffic signal transmission, tax, and utility bill calculation. Moreover, since automated administrative decisions using artificial intelligence (AI) technology are also included in this automatic disposition, there is room for legal acceptance of automated administrative decisions based on artificial intelligence algorithms that exceed the level of conventional computerization or partial automation. However, it is still a long way from implementing a fully automated administrative decision system based on current law and having technical and institutional safety devices for it. On the other hand, the Framework Act on Intelligent Informatization, which took effect in December 2020, introduced a new ‘social impact assessment’ for intelligent information services that have far-reach effects on citizens’ lives. According to Article 56 of the Act, the main goal of this impact assessment system is to investigate and evaluate the impact of intelligent information services on society, economy, culture, etc., disclose the results, reflect them in policies, and directly recommend appropriate measures. Since the scope of intelligent information services subject to evaluation is not limited to the private sector, it should be considered that intelligent information services in the administrative sector can also be subject to social impact assessment in this article. It is reasonable to assume that automatic administrative services by artificial intelligence system belong to a wide range of intelligent information services prescribed by law, and that automatic disposition issued as a fully automated system based on intelligent information technology can also be subject to social impact assessment. Although no provisions have been found in law to assess the impact of automated administrative decisions, the government of Canada has implemented the “Directive on Automated Decision-Making” since April 2019, which systematically regulates the automated administrative decision-making system. The requirement that constitutes an important axis of this directive is the ‘algorithmic impact assessment'. For an automated administrative decision-making system that bears relatively stricter legality and public responsibility than private companies' services, it is necessary to process and operate an impact assessment that reviews safety, transparency, and solidity in advance. In this paper, referring to the Canadian case, as a control system of the algorithm-based administrative decision-making system, I propose the institutionalization of the “algorithmic impact assessment” in consideration of the connection with the social impact assessment under the current law.

FEATURES OF FINANCIAL BEHAVIOR IN CASH, CARDS AND APPLICATIONS

Nowadays market develops new means of payment to force consumers increase their spending readiness. New means of paying (different applications and cards) decrease ‘‘pain of paying’’ and increase readiness of spending. But different means of paying are differently perceived and accepted by the consumers. This research is aimed to reveal some features of spending and financial behavior of consumers depending their preference of cash, cards and applications. Our earlier research proves that using of cash depends on the age. The older persons prefer cash. In certain payments the youngest group prefers doing payments by applications. Unemployed people are more tended to choose cash spending. Those, who generally preferred paying in cash or card, noted that utility bills are paid by app. So, if well-working and trusted system exists people choose application. Reason can be either consumers tend to focus less on the negative feeling associated with the amount paid or with absence of queues and general easiness. Now we tried to discover online consuming features and some psychological characteristics depending of preferences of different means of payment.

Southern politics, southern power prices: Race, utility regulation, and the value of energy

AbstractFor many middle‐income households, paying the electricity bill is a mundane, even mindless, act. But for an ever‐increasing number of low‐income families, the electricity bill—filtered through the racialized materiality of poor‐quality housing stock and antidemocratic price regulation—represents something more ominous: looming disconnection, eviction, and a deep spin of vulnerabilities. This article explores the materiality of race in the US South through the prism of southern utilities and maps the political landscape on which contestations over the value of energy are taking place. I ask, how do different conceptualizations of value by utilities, regulators, and energy justice advocates figure into the price of energy and racialized dispossession in the Deep South? I draw attention to the highly elaborated narrative politics of the value of Georgia Power's energy. In conversation with recent anthropological debates about value and “the just price,” I argue that Georgia Power's monopoly on public power engages and reinforces the racialized political economy of the South to produce high home energy prices for low‐income families. But it also provokes a decryption of these energy prices by energy justice advocates that connects the silent violence of energy injustice to people's everyday experiences of extractive utility bills.

Willingness to pay for green energy sources in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

This study investigates the willingness of customers in the UAE to pay a premium for green energy (GE) sources. Given the huge initial investment required for GE projects, raising capital is often achieved by increasing energy bills or taxes. To explore this issue, the study surveyed 192 small and medium-sized businesses using the contingent valuation method. The results indicate that while most businesses are aware of solar and wind energy sources and the importance of combating climate change, half of them are not willing to compromise their current energy use and do not support an increase in utility bills or taxes to finance GE projects. However, older businesses tend to be more willing to pay a premium for GE compared to younger businesses. Overall, majority of the businesses support a voluntary increase in electricity bills. The findings highlight the crucial role of current electricity bills and knowledge about GE sources in shaping customers' willingness to pay. This study contributes to the literature on energy finance and the contingent valuation method in the context of green energy in the UAE.

Transforming Slum Dwellings into Better Livable Units: An Approach through Minimum Intervention

Urban migration is becoming an increasing issue in the cities in Bangladesh. Since the migrants are mostly poverty affected, they have no other opportunity than to move to urban slums, where, there is no decent infrastructure. The high density of built-forms and lack of understanding about ventilation strategies and thermal insulation are some of the reasons for their sufferings during the summer and winter months. The constant need for health treatment, infrastructure repairing, increasing utility bills due to lack of daylight and ventilation are affecting their extremely marginal economic condition. This study investigates existing built-forms, socio-economic assets, and living conditions in a particular slum area, located in Dhaka, Bangladesh; and, suggests some adaptive solutions in the form of minor and affordable interventions to upgrade their infrastructure, mostly focusing on the inclusion of daylight and ventilation by retrofitting the existing condition.

Energy poverty and the convergence hypothesis across EU member states

Energy poverty is an emerging issue towards global affairs. Currently, the development of energy-related policies is becoming essential, with regard to new societies, social inclusion and social rights. In this paper, we examine the dynamic patterns of energy poverty among 27 EU member states between 2005 and 2020. We use the log-t regression test to investigate the convergence hypothesis, and the P&S data-driven algorithm to detect potential convergence clubs. The empirical results of energy poverty indicators are mixed, and the convergence hypothesis of the states is rejected. Instead, convergence clubs are exhibited, implying that groups of countries converge to different steady states in the long run. In view of the convergence clubs, we suggest that the affordability of heating services is potentially explained by structural conditions of housing, climate conditions and energy costs. Besides, the adverse financial and social conditions for the European households have significantly triggered the arrears on utility bills. Moreover, a significant proportion of households do not have basic sanitation services.

Can distributor system operators play a role in the European Union energy efficiency financing game?

On-bill schemes are innovative financial frameworks for supporting energy renovation based on private capital. Direct intervention of public authorities may not be necessary. The pivotal role is assumed by energy utilities which are the originators of the business and act as market aggregators. On-bill schemes are based on a simple principle, namely the utility supports the energy renovation of final users by providing the upfront capital to repay on the utility bill. This implies that energy supply and renovation services are provided by the same company. This could be a limitation since the user may be obliged to stay with the same energy supplier for all the duration of the on-bill scheme. Even more complications can arise when the dwelling is sold or rent to another tenant. For such a reason it is important to find solutions for the possible decoupling of energy supply and energy renovation services. The present paper introduces an innovative business model which involves Distribution System Operators or other designated entities acting as market facilitators supporting the decoupling between energy supply and building energy renovation services. To characterise precisely the business ecosystem and the relations among the different actors, the Value Flow Model is employed.

Investigation of a Battery Storage System Aimed at Demand-Side Management of Residential Load

In this paper, an approach is presented for the demand-side management of residential loads in the urban areas of Pakistan using a battery storage system at the feeder level. The proposed storage system will be installed by a private distributor to supply affordable electricity during peak hours. The experimental data used to carry out this research work are the Pakistan Residential Energy Consumption (PRECON) data set. The households of the data set are categorized based on electric power usage through K-means clustering. The clusters are expanded for feeder synthesis to represent small-scale, medium-scale, and large-scale consumption. This expansion is performed through uniform distribution in a Monte Carlo simulation. The techno-economic analysis for the installation of a battery storage system is carried out for each feeder using SAM. The results of the research project elucidated that the load factors of the feeders representing small-scale, medium-scale, and large-scale consumption improved by 1%, 6%, and 7% by using the optimally sized batteries of 50 kW (670 kWh), 90 kW (1207 kWh), and 100 kW (1360 kWh), respectively. The distributor profit and the consumer utility bill savings ranged from US$12 k to US$25 k. The results proved the validity of the used approach to simultaneously reduce the consumer bill, maximize the distributor profit, and improve the feeder load factor. The novelty of this work lies in the location and in the way the system modeling has been performed with limited data.

Ленинградский управхоз в годы блокады: зона ответственности и образ

Introduction. The key figures in the communal services of Leningrad during the period of the city blockade were the household managers – upravkhozy. Their functions were determined by a special regulation adopted and approved by the executive committee of the Leningrad City Council on the eve of the Great Patriotic War. Household managers were supposed to monitor the state of the household, including the housing stock, regulate the passport regime, carry out the correct and timely collection (and in some cases, accrual) of apartment and utility bills. With the help of the employees subordinate to them, they were obliged to carry out routine repairs of the housing stock. Methods and Materials. Using a set of documents deposited in the archives, as well as diaries and official decisions of the Leningrad leaders during the war, the authors highlight the emotional background of the blockaded city. Along with the solution of the food problem, an important task in the conditions of massive shelling and bombing was the preservation of the housing stock in a satisfactory condition. Analysis. Being subordinate to the district council executive committee, the household managers accumulated in their hands the funds and property of the household, they hired and fired a significant part of the workers, and had the right to impose disciplinary sanctions on them. In the emergency conditions of the blockade, they became the most important link between the party and Soviet leadership of their district and the tenants. Since there was often no effective control over the work of the household managers, they were able to decide at their own discretion, without the sanction of the housing department, on the distribution of vacated rooms and apartments that belonged to deceased and evacuated residents of Leningrad. Results. On the basis of a set of documents, including archival materials, the article examines the impact of Leningrad administrative farms on the daily life of Leningraders during the years of the blockade. It is concluded that the abuses of household managers were explained by their low wages, insufficient professional training to solve complex issues of public utilities and a low educational level. Authors’ contribution. O.A. Gavrilova identified historical sources, analyzed the official decrees issued by the leadership of Leningrad. M.V. Khodjakov analyzed archival materials and memoirs of blockade survivors, designed the text of the article. Key words: blockade of Leningrad, Great Patriotic War, housing policy, urban economy, household manager.

Abstract MP14: Association Between Housing Insecurity With Reduced Access to Healthcare and Cardiovascular Disease Prevention: The Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Study

Introduction: Risk factors including hypertension and hyperlipidemia increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Yet, the significantly increased prevalence of CVD in housing insecure populations cannot be explained by the diagnosed prevalence of these risk factors alone. These populations may face unique barriers to care related to lack of access to screening, prevention, and treatment that complicate heart health. Hypothesis: Access to quality healthcare and CVD prevention is reduced for the housing insecure population, independent of income and sociodemographic factors, compared to housing secure populations. Methods: Using data from the 2017 Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), housing insecurity was self-reported as not being able to pay mortgage, rent, or utility bills over the past 12 months. Weighted multivariable logistic regressions were used to calculate adjusted odds ratios for the healthcare access variables. Results: In our study population, 8.79% (51.8% female, 71.7% white) experienced housing insecurity. Compared to housing secure individuals, housing insecure individuals were more likely to not have a primary care doctor (OR 1.25 [1.16-1.35]), be unable to afford doctor visits (3.89 [3.63-4.16]), report pending medical bills (2.62 [2.33-2.93]), have Medicare (1.26 [1.01-1.57]) or Medicaid (1.83 [1.46-2.28]), experience gaps in healthcare coverage (2.94 [2.45-3.53]), delayed medical care (2.38 [2.10-2.70]), and were 4 times more likely to not take medications as prescribed due to cost (4.39 [3.86-4.99]). Among those with known hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, respectively, people experiencing housing insecurity were more likely to not be taking antihypertensive (1.35 [1.20-1.51]) and cholesterol-lowering medications (1.33 [1.18-1.48]). Conclusion: Housing insecure populations experience significant healthcare access disparities, potentially exacerbating health outcomes through the underdiagnosis, prevention, and treatment of CVD.

Energy Hogs and Misers: Magnitude and Variability of Individuals’ Household Electricity Consumption

We use circuit-level granular electricity measurements from student housing and statistical analysis to better understand individuals’ electricity consumption. Two key patterns emerged—individuals varied systematically in their magnitude of electricity use as well as in their variability of usage at the hourly and daily level. A cluster analysis of electricity consumption in individual bedrooms shows that 18% of students consume 48% of total electricity use at a median of 2.17 kWh/d/person. These few energy hogs have a disproportionate impact on electricity consumption. In contrast, the misers (22% of students) consume only 4% of the electricity (0.18 kWh/d/person). Mini-refrigerators in bedrooms contributed substantially to the total electricity use of the moderate users. In contrast, mini-refrigerators were less influential for energy hogs, suggesting that these residents may draw power in others ways, such as by using powerful computing or gaming systems for hours each day. A sub-cluster analysis revealed substantial individual variability in hourly usage profiles. Some energy hogs use electricity consistently throughout the day, while others have specific periods of high consumption. We demonstrate how our analysis is generalizable to other situations where the resident does not directly pay their utility bills and thus has limited financial incentive to conserve, and how it contributes to a deeper understanding of the different ways in which individuals use energy. This allows for targeting interventions to groups with similar patterns of consumption. For example, policies such as fines or fees that might reduce the excessive electricity use for short times or for individual hogs could result in potential savings ranging from 16–33% of bedroom electricity.

A Hybrid Heuristic Algorithm for Energy Management in Electricity Market with Demand Response and Distributed Generators

Optimal energy management trends are indispensable in improving the power grid’s reliability. However, power usage scheduling for energy management (EM) poses several challenges on a practical and technical level. This paper develops an energy consumption scheduler (ECS) to solve the power usage scheduling problem for optimal EM and overcome the major challenge in demand response (DR) implementation. This work aims to solve the power usage scheduling problem for EM to optimize utility bill, peak energy demand, and pollution emission while considering the varying pricing signal, distributed generators (DGs), household load, energy storage batteries, users, and EUC constraints. The ECS is based on a stochastic algorithm (genetic wind-driven optimization (GWDO) algorithm) because generation, DGs, demand, and energy price are stochastic and uncertain. The ECS based on the GWDO algorithm determines the optimal operation schedule of household appliances and batteries charge/discharge for a day time horizon. The developed model is analyzed by conducting simulations for two cases: home is not equipped with DGs, and home is equipped DGs in terms of utility bill, peak energy demand, and pollution emission. The simulation results validated the proposed model’s applicability to EM problems.

Microfinancing and Poverty Alleviation: A Case of Advans Savings and Loans Limited in Sunyani

The study examined the effect of microfinance on poverty alleviation in Sunyani Municipal using Advans Savings and Loans Limited. The study employed descriptive survey of the quantitative approach. Convenience sampling was used to select 243 respondents to form part of the study. Questionnaire was used as a data collection instrument to solicit for data from the market operators. The data gathered from the respondents were analyzed descriptively using frequencies, percentages and means as well as paired sample t-test with the aid of Statistical Package for Service Solution software version 21.0. The study found that household’s income, agribusiness, productivity and paying of utility bills have been improved after the introduction of microfinance service. Households’ daily savings, frequent of savings, and amount of savings have been improved subsequently after accessing microfinance products. There has been an improvement in the acquisition of assets after households started to patronize microfinance services. Respondents’ livelihoods have been influenced positively. There has been an appreciable improvement in financial, human and physical assets but little influence on natural and social assets. Therefore, the study recommended that microfinance should develop and improve upon packages and products for households in order to improve upon their income levels as well as acquisition of basic household assets. Moreover, households should be sensitized and educated on the essence of investing in social assets as well as social assets in the society.

Economic burden of becoming a dentist in Thailand

ObjectivesTo determine the overall estimated financial impact and related expenses incurred over the duration of the undergraduate Dental Degree in Thailand.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among all 658 dental undergraduates in Mahidol University, Thailand. Data was collected through a self-administered questionnaire, including the following information: (1) “Background and Demographics”: household income, hometown, residence during study and source(s) of any financial aid received; (2) “Living Expenses”: Living costs including food, transportation, rent, utility bills, and recreational expenses; (3) ”Education related expenses”: Including textbooks, stationeries, uniforms, and student activities fees. A cost-median was used as a baseline representation for the actual cost of each item. The mean differences of all expenses between groups before estimation was assessed by using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) method. The statistically significant differences were identified at p < 0.001.ResultsThe estimated adjusted cost of becoming a dentist in Thailand is THB1,265,027 (36,143.63 USD) for students living at home and THB1,823,027 (52,086.49 USD) for those renting accommodation. Students who rented accommodation incurred significantly higher yearly living expenses than those who were living at home. (p < 0.001). The majority of participants (78.4%) were in households having a middle-to-high socioeconomic status. Ninety-five percentages of the participants’ received 100% financial support from their families with no additional source of income, which reflects no real diversity in the socioeconomic background of Dental Degree students.ConclusionThe cost of a higher education Dental Degree in Thailand can be a significant barrier to entry and financial burden, especially for students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. Government and Educational Policy makers need to pay more attention to this issue in order to provide equal opportunities for obtaining a University Dental Degree for all Thai students wishing to pursue this career path.

Categorizing relative water use perception bias using household surveys and monthly water bills

We introduce the concept of relative water use perception bias to highlight the role of human relationships, social cues, and the built environment in household water consumption. Although previous studies have explored actual water use, it is also important to understand how people perceive their relative behaviors because humans are social animals and act in relation to each other. We combine household survey responses and water utility bills in a large sample of households to quantify the degree of over- and under-estimation bias in perceived relative household water use. We then use multi-level nested regression models to investigate four categories of potential influence: sociodemographic characteristics, perceived social norms, neighborhood characteristics, and water bill information. Results show that most households tended to view themselves as ‘better than average’ water users when they actually used more water compared to neighbors. Respondents in high-income households and those who are more concerned about water shortages were more likely to underestimate their relative water use (using comparatively more than they thought). However, in more suburbanized neighborhood environments, households were more likely to overestimate their relative water use (using comparatively less than they thought). We call the inaccuracy in assessing water usage compared to their neighbors' relative water use perception bias. We propose that a better understanding of this bias can aid the design of policy initiatives like neighborhood planning, better water bill design, targeted messaging, and social signaling. By bringing a relational lens to bear on water conservation studies, understanding relative water use perception bias sheds new light on the complex drivers of household water consumption.