Rate impacts-a practical scoping model (electricity tariffs)

A procedure is presented for evaluating the impact of various residential rate structures on electricity sales and load forecasts. The technique provides a method for easily evaluating the impact of alternative rate structures on the quantity of an electricity demand, while taking account of the entire block rate structure and associated elasticity impacts on forecast kilowatt-hour usage. The procedure accounts for any changes in customer charges, as well as in any or all block rates. Given sufficiently detailed energy forecasts, seasonal or monthly rate impacts can then be analyzed. The procedure is easily adapted to a forecasting framework and can be implemented by using a spreadsheet program such as Lotus 1-2-3 to facilitate timely evaluation of alternative rate scenarios.<>